Aria Seneca
by JordanVDM
Summary: New girl, Aria moves back to La Push to be imprinted on by Jacob and finds out her father used to be a wolf himself. Seth imprinted on and saved Renesme . See them fall in love and into devastation.
1. Moving In

**Chapter 1**

**Moving In**

Driving through this place is like driving through a forest, everything is green. The air seems to hang low here and already I was beginning to feel claustrophobic. I barely remember living here; nothing stays the same forever, except for La Push. No, nothing ever changes in La Push. With my window down I can hear the faint sound of the sea rushing onto the shore and birds high up in the trees squawking as my passing car alarms them. This place is silent, motionless, alone.

I see no people, hear no cars, and feel nothing but the chill creeping into my bones. It is supposed to feel like home here, it is where I was born after all. But it doesn't, it feels more like a stranger than a friend.

I sighed as my mum and dad came to a slow stop in the car in front of mine, forcing me too as well. They had chosen a house of the outskirts of the – what I can only call village - a house I haven't even seen in a picture. Moving back here isn't something I had been looking forward to.

When I was five my grandmother (mum's side) grew ill and we had to move to Georgia (where mum came from) so that mum could take care of her. She died a couple of years later, it had taken a lot longer than the doctors had suspected. Dad wanted to move back here immediately, but mum convinced him to stay because I had already started school. In the end, dad liked Savannah as much as mum did and we just stayed. But now, dad's job has moved to Seattle, so here we are, outside our new home.

I saw the car doors open in front of me, mum and dad squeezing out of their fully packed car, just happy to finally be here. We had been driving for days, dad said it would be like a family road trip for us, but it was just horrible.

I stared reluctantly at the house. It is small, three bedrooms one with an en-suit, living room, kitchen diner, small toilet and family bathroom. But compared to the other houses I could see down the road, this looked like a palace fit for a king. My mind wondered back to my old room, the view from my window, the noises of people walking around below it. I missed it already.

Mum startled me by opening my door. "That wasn't too bad was it, Aria?" Natalie asked me.

"No, it was fine mum" I replied shortly, whilst stepping out of my cold green Mini. Cramp.

"So, what do you think?" She asked me, far too happily.

"It's…. great, mum" I answered, trying to sound enthusiastic. Leaving Georgia had been hard enough for her, it is her home and mine, I wasn't about to make it harder.

Right on time, the moving van appeared with all our stuff. Great, a day of heavy lifting. It backed onto our very small two car driveway and the men began hauling our stuff into the correct rooms with mum shouting orders at them. I grabbed a unit with dad and began to help. The sooner this was done the better.

Eventually, all of our stuff was piled into the house and the movers gone. Dad was in the small garage trying to fit the lawn mower into a tiny space. Neither of our cars would fit in there. Mum was in the kitchen, faffing about where to put a knife block. Which just left me – bored already. Dad was letting me paint my room tomorrow so I wasn't unpacking tonight. Instead I collapsed on my bed, exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

I woke up to the sound of rain, and had no idea what time it was. It was bright in my room, so I knew it was morning. I got up, realising I was still in my clothes and walked to the window. It looked over our back garden and into the forest. Not that you could see very far. A movement in the trees caught my eye. My heart leapt into my throat, I thought I had seen an animal. But whatever it was, it was gone now. I wouldn't be going into the forest any time soon that's for sure.

I turned to look around my room. There were three doors, the ones from the hall and two others. I was confused. I opened the first; it was a cupboard, not a wardrobe, just a small dark space. I opened the second. It was the en-suit; the movers must have put my stuff in the wrong room.

I walked downstairs to the smell of waffles. Mum was making breakfast. "Hi" I announced myself dully.

"What's wrong sweetie, you don't like your room?" she asked me, worry spreading across her face.

"I don't think it is my room, it's got a bathroom."

"We thought you'd still want your own bathroom, and the cupboard will be great for all your art supplies and your paintings" she smiled at me reassuringly.

"Are you sure? I mean, you and dad should have the biggest room" She wanted me to feel at home here, I could tell.

"Yes of course we are honey; you spend much more time in your room than we do in ours. Here, I made you waffles, your favourite." She placed the plate in front of me.

I started to eat them, after not having dinner last night I was starving. "Did dad remember my paint?" I asked her happier now with food in my stomach.

"Yes, it's outside your room Aria" Brayden shouted from the living room. Dad seems to hear everything.

"Thanks!" I shouted back, eager to get started.

I found the paints outside my door as dad had promised, along with brushes, and sheets for the carpet and my stuff. I took them in and fumbled around in one of my bags for my toothbrush. When I was done in the bathroom, I came back and got to work.

First moving everything to the centre of the room and covering the floor, and then started with the painting. The walls were an off white colour and with the green reflection from outside, they were extremely … well… green. I decided I wanted some colour in this room, so I painted three of the walls (the ones with doors and windows) a light blue / turquoise colour. Which dad actually ended up doing for me whilst I painted the last wall. This one was the biggest and uninterrupted. I painted huge colourful flowers covering it, all of them different colours, shapes and sizes.

It took all day; I had a headache from the fumes and was in serious need of a shower. So I found my box of bathroom stuff, unpacked it in the untouched white bathroom and eventually had a long hot shower. At least the hot water worked if nothing else, I have a feeling I would need it in this cold, rainy place. I ended up sleeping on the sofa so I didn't ruin my master piece.

Finally, I got to unpack my stuff. Mum was right about the cupboard being perfect for my art stuff, and my wardrobe fit perfectly in the gap between the two doors. Opposite that wall, was the flower wall, which I backed my bed onto in the far corner, which was also underneath my window on the adjacent wall. Opposite the window wall, with my bedroom door, I got dad to hang my TV and mirror and I put my big chest of drawers there too.

I unpacked all my stuff as best as I could, and what I couldn't unpack I left in boxes under my bed. It felt good to finally be done but sad at the same time. It didn't really feel very much like home, even with all my stuff here.

I sat crossed legged on my bed and pulled my laptop onto my lap. Dad had sorted the phone line and internet out earlier. I logged onto Facebook for the first time in over a week to find messages from my friends in Georgia, all wanting to know how I was and what it was like here. I replied to them all, with untrue happiness, telling them about my room and how beautiful it is here. Which isn't a lie, it is beautiful, just a little too green. I even took photographs of my room and the view from my window and uploaded them to sound convincing.

But then I was finished, and felt more alone than I had since we left.


	2. First Week

**Chapter 2**

**First Week**

It's my first day at school. All I can say is I am not looking forward to it. I woke up early this morning, I think due to nerves. I showered and dressed. I pulled on a pair of tight-ish light blue jeans, a white t-shirt which hugged my body and a thick cream / beige cardigan for warmth. The colour complimented my long straight golden hair and made my green eyes look much brighter. I'm pretty certain I have most of my mother's genes as my dad comes from the Quileute Tribe, who are native Indians and have dark skin, black hair and dark eyes. Normally this is something I am happy about, but here and now, I wished more than anything that I could look the part, knowing how badly I will stand out in the tiny reservation school.

School here apparently is a lot different to school everywhere else. They teach the native language of the tribe and arts and crafts and stuff to do with fish, things that someone from this tribe would need to know. They do teach math, English and science too but they don't look at this as important. I will admit I am worried about this. The language is something I can speak, I have grown up with dad speaking it my whole life, and the arts and crafts thing is great, but fish! I mean… fish! I plan on going to college next year! I doubt I will get in with a diploma in how to catch fish!

After stressing about this for a while, I tried to calm myself down by eating breakfast, which just made me feel sick so I took to brushing my hair and applying a small amount of make-up, in an attempt at a confidence boost. It didn't really work. Instead, I grabbed my bag, a brown, over the shoulder, leather look satchel and shoved my note pads, pens, car keys, phone, purse and iPod in it. Hoping I hadn't forgotten anything important, I slowly made my way down the stairs, put on my military style boots (the closest thing I had to waterproofs) and set out the door. Dad had already left and mum had decided to do the shopping early. I locked the front door behind me and got in the car.

I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I kicked myself (not literally) for having not taken a drive to explore yesterday. I had planned on but the rain had put me off of going outside. It wasn't raining now though as I drove around the streets searching for the school. It couldn't be that hard to find surely. At least I'm early I thought as I neared the other side of the reservation.

I ended up having to turn back on myself and finally stumbled upon the school. It didn't look like a school, that's why I missed it. It was a tiny 2 building, 3 story school. Nothing like the one I went to in Georgia. I slid my Mini into one of the empty spaces and forced myself out of the car. I headed straight for the door with the sign that said reception, hoping not to get noticed.

The lady at the desk knew who I was immediately and handed me a class timetable and what was supposed to be a map of the two buildings and sent me on my way. I went and got back in my car. I studied the map and made notes on my timetable as to where the rooms were so that I wouldn't need it. I made a mental note of my locker and combination and stuffed the papers into my bag. My first class would take all morning, it was tribal language.

I made my way to the other building, up to the first floor and found the room. It wasn't hard as the rooms were labelled, this school would be much easier to navigate than my last school at least. I walked into the room just as the bell signalled class to begin. Everyone stared at me as I walked to the back of the room and took a seat in the corner as far away from people's eyes as I could get. I stared down at my hands, trying to pretend like I wasn't really there, but the guy in front of me turned around.

"Hi, I'm Seth" he smiled nicely at me as I looked up at him. He was extremely muscled, and I could tell he was tall, but he seemed nice enough.

"Aria", I tried to smile back but it didn't really happen.

"I know who you are" he said "everyone has been talking about your parents moving back to town, they used to be friends with my mum and dad"

"Really?" I was surprised, mum and dad and spoken about their friends here but as silly as it sounds, I didn't expect it to be true.

"Yeah, our families go way back, I told mum that if I saw you, I'd help you out. She was quite persistent about it actually."

I nodded.

The teacher walked in and Seth turned back around and I that was the end of that. I sat silently; already fluent in the language, as were everyone else in the room, there was no need for this. The teacher asked from across the room, if I needed him to speak English, everyone stared as I said no. He looked surprised but didn't question me about it. He did test me by asking me about my summer in the tribal language. I answered him fully saying it was mostly taken up by packing and saying goodbye to my friends. He nodded at me and moved onto his next victim.

Three hours seemed to take years, even though for most of it Mr Medina hadn't even been in the room. He had given us a timed essay to do. I finished mine quickly and just sat waiting for the end of the lesson. The bell finally signalled the end of class, I grabbed my things and shoved them into my bag. Everyone queued up to put their papers on Mr Medina's desk before leaving. I joined the end of the line behind Seth, who was talking with another male student. He was even more muscled than Seth was. I couldn't help but look at him, he had is back to me and I could only see a small amount of the side of his face. I didn't get any closer to hear what they were talking about but from the expression on Seth's face they weren't happy. I hesitated behind them before putting my paper on the desk and following them out. It was lunch period but I wasn't hungry. I followed my way to the cafeteria anyway and grabbed a bottle of water before heading outside. I could use a little sunshine.

When I got to the exit, and looked through the windowed door I found it was pouring with rain. Great, I had forgotten my coat. So I had no choice but to head back to the cafeteria and sit on my own with everyone watching me.

I found an empty table easily. There were far too many for the amount of students in the school. I took out my timetable to find that all afternoon I had art. That cheered me up a bit as I sat there, trying to pretend like I didn't exist.

I was staring out at the rain and daydreaming when I heard the sound of a chair being pulled from underneath the table in front of me. I pulled myself from my thoughts as Seth sat down in front of me.

"I saw you alone, and figured I'd come over" he felt sorry for me. I hated that.

"Thanks, but its ok, I don't mind being alone, I only have one year left right." I smiled mockingly but he didn't seem to get that.

"Everyone needs friends" he told me.

"I have some, they're just not here" I reminded him.

"Okay, well now you have one that is here." I didn't answer him. "Is that okay? Or do you want me to go away?" he asked me offended.

I sighed "It's great actually, thank you" and I genuinely did think that.

"So, Aria Seneca, any good at art? I'm terrible and could use some help" He smiled at me pleasantly, but I felt suspicious of him.

"Have you been speaking to my mother?" I asked him.

He laughed "No, mum has been telling me about you for the last week. Seriously, our mums talk too much."

I smiled at him, I hadn't realised mum still spoke to anyone here, but it was nice that she did, at least one of us would have friends here. We carried on talking the whole way through lunch period and he walked with me and sat with me in class. I kept telling Seth that he really didn't need to feel bad if he'd rather sit with his friends but he didn't respond, just shook his head or said if his mum found out she'd kill him. He was actually really fun and so easy to get along with, and I found myself enjoying class with him, which was surprising.

By the time class was over, I had painted 50cm by 90cm painting of the forest I could see through the window. I attempted painting the animal I saw from my bedroom window the second day I was here but it looked like nothing I had seen before. I was going to paint over it but ran out of time. Seth looked at the painting awed at first but the longer he looked at it, he got a weird look on his face. He didn't say much as we walked out to the parking lot. He said goodbye and walked away when I neared my car, he didn't even give me a change to reply.

I was confused as I clambered into my little car, what had I done to upset him? We had been getting on so well. I worried about it all the way home and found myself obsessing over it when I was trying to sleep later that night.

The rain had kept me from sleep for most of the night. So when I finally fell asleep I ended up over sleeping and rushed to school late. I had normal lessons today, English, Math, and Science. Seth wasn't in my first two classes.

I rushed through the rain with my head down on my way to the cafeteria when I walked straight into someone. "Sorry" I mumbled, I tried to glance up at the boy but the rain flew into my eyes. I caught a glimpse of the boy who had been talking with Seth the day before. He didn't even look at me. I looked back to the ground and carried on going. The rain was definitely something I would have to get used to.

Seth came and sat with me for lunch again, this time I was actually eating. He seemed what I could only presume is his usual self is, happy and talkative, always with a lot to say. We talked and laughed the whole way through lunch and he walked me to my next class before striding off to his own.

A girl called Lucy sat with me in Math and spoke to me the whole way through. We worked on some of the harder equations together and she asked about what it was like to live in a city and with no rain and about my friends. She reassured me that given a week or two everyone would be used to me being here, and offered to sit with Seth and me tomorrow at lunch.

As the week drew on, I made more friends. Some of the guys who normally sat with Seth, Colin and Brady came over at lunch. They were both similar in build to Seth but smaller and later Seth mentioned that they were a year younger than us. Also, a few of Lucy's friends came over with her, Caitlyn and Hannah.

The class about fish were only for the males of the tribe which I was relieved about, instead I had to take part in a crafts class, where we sewed and made jewellery and things like that. I was actually quite fun and nice to do something creative that didn't have to be perfect.

It had been a couple of weeks since living here and I was finally getting used to the sound of rain on the roof at night. I was beginning to find it soothing. Once or twice this week I have looked out of my bedroom window and I would swear that I have seen that animal a few times. I keep getting the feeling like someone is watching me and I think it's that huge animal in the forest.


	3. Jacob Black

**Chapter 3**

**Jacob Black**

"_No, I'm getting used to it here actually. I've made quite a few friends and once you get used to the different classes, school isn't so bad. The rain is horrible; I hate choosing a nice outfit to wear and then having to keep it covered up all day. I'm beginning to just wear jeans and a jumper to school 'cause no one sees what I'm wearing anyway. I am going to have to do some shopping to get some warmer clothes that's for sure, but who doesn't like a good shopping trip? Anyway, I'm going to go take a walk on the beach whilst it's stopped raining. Write back soon. Aria"_

I closed my laptop, letting it fall into sleep mode. I missed my friends. I dragged myself off of my bed, grabbed my keys and phone and headed down stairs. Visiting the beach was something I had meant to do since the day I arrived here 6 weeks ago but just hadn't gotten around to it.

I pulled on my coat and got in the car. I could have walked but didn't want to get caught in the rain. I took the two minute drive down to the beach and pulled up in a parking space. I didn't hesitate walking down to the shore line. I walked along the beach for a while but soon stopped and just looked out to James Island. I had done this many times as a child with mum and dad; it was nice to remember something about this place.

I don't know how long I stood there for, but after a while I was aware of someone standing next to me. I turned to look at them and found to my surprise that it was that boy again. I hadn't wanted to ask Seth his name or what they had been talking about that day, it felt too rude. But I had kept seeing him around school, either alone or with Seth, Colin and Brady. I was curious about him, I couldn't help it. He was nothing but a stranger to me but something about him caught my attention that day and I hate to admit it, but I have thought about him every day since. What was he doing here, next to me? When did he even get here? I hadn't heard him.

I was staring at him, I couldn't help it and I couldn't stop it. He turned to look at me and he was beautiful. He had gorgeous dark messed up hair, brown eyes that seemed to look straight through me to my soul and beautiful russet coloured skin. I was literally breathless. I could feel the expression on my face, and he mirrored it perfectly. It was like nothing I had ever felt before; there is no way to explain it, it was like before I looked into his eyes I was falling faster and faster and now it's like I've been caught, I've been saved by him.

I couldn't speak or think or move and apparently neither could he. Something pulled us both out of our reverie though; someone was shouting a name, "Jacob", we both turned towards the noise. It was Seth. He was running towards us. I could only presume that this was Jacob, and he turned back to me and me to him and we just continued to stare at each other in the way that we had before. My brain was more conscious of what was going on now, of this beautiful male in front of me, staring straight into my soul and me staring straight back at his. No words were needed in the moment, nothing else mattered.

Seth came to a halt beside us and looked back and forth at us. Slowly, I pulled my face from Jacob to look at him, dazed and confused. I could feel Jacob still looking at me, never changing, as though he would be happy if he could just stand there looking at me forever.

"Jake?" Seth questioned him, his tone unsure. Jacob didn't answer him, didn't even turn to look at him. I forced myself not to look back, to keep looking at Seth, to try and figure out what was happening. Seth turned to me next. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He asked me, worry filling his voice and face.

"Why would he hurt me?" I forced the question out, absolutely stunned, he would never hurt me, I knew that. Somehow. Seth's face change dramatically to relief and he looked back to Jacob.

After a while he muttered "Oh".

Jacob turned to look at him then "Are you okay with this?" Jacob asked him.

Seth nodded "I have Renesme." He looked back to me and then back to Jacob. "The sooner you tell her the better. But not now, Sam needs us."

He walked away. Jacob began to follow him, but turned back to me. "I'll come and see you later" he promised. It was close to a whisper but I heard him clearly.

I nodded sharply and watched him walk away, feeling like he was taking a part of me with him.

After dinner, I took a shower, changed into some black leggings and a medium grey top. I pulled the front sides of my hair up and pinned the nearer the back of my head out of the way. I threw my painting apron on over my clothes and continued my painting from the day before. I had needed it to dry.

I was just adding the last of the shading when a small knock on my bedroom door made me jump. Luckily I hadn't had my brush to the picture or it would be ruined.

"Come in" I called. I kept my back to the door as I finished up. I heard the door open and close behind me, but whoever came in hadn't said anything.

"You're a really good painter." It was Jacob. I drew my last line and put the brush down before I turned to look at him, surprise still all over my face. He laughed a little, "I told you I would see you later".

I nodded and packed my art stuff away, leaning the painting on the wall to finish drying. After washing my hands, I walked back into the room. Jacob was sat at the bottom of my bed watching me. I stopped in the middle of my room, crossed my arms over my body and waited for him to talk. It took him a while to say anything, "Do you want to go for a walk with me?" he asked.

I didn't even think before I answered him. "Sure, why not?" We headed out; I grabbed my coat before leaving. "Do you want to go get a jacket?" I asked him.

"Nope, I'm good" He replied.

I let him lead the way. He headed straight around the back of my house and towards the forest. I stopped dead in my tracks. "I won't let anything hurt you".

Funnily enough, that was all it took for me to follow him into the forest, right where I always caught that huge animal watching me. He walked by my side but didn't say anything. About five minutes in, he stopped, the trees created the boundaries of a small mudded area. He turned to look at me, worry filled his face, or maybe it was concern, I couldn't tell.

"Did your dad ever tell you the tribe's history?" he asked. I nodded at him. "Do you believe the stories?"

I was about to say no when I thought about the huge animal in the forest, it could have easily been a wolf. "I didn't" I replied.

"Do you now?"

"I don't know". He didn't say anything; he just waited for me to finish answering him. "I keep seeing this huge animal from my window stood at the edge of the forest watching me…" I looked at the ground. "I drew it on my first day of school and it made Seth go really funny with me".

Jacob nodded. He didn't say anything for a while, but I could tell he was thinking of something. "Would you be scared if the stories were true?"

"No" And _that_ was true. I had thought about it a lot as a child. If there were gigantic wolves around to save my from the Cold Ones, I would have nothing to be scared of. I explained this to Jacob and he seemed relieved.

"I have to show you something" he whispered. "Please don't be afraid of me".

With that, he stripped off his clothes. I wanted to look away; I was trying to force myself to. It was only right that I did, he was naked, but I couldn't. And then he was shaking, his whole body. He backed away from me and the next thing I knew there was a huge russet coloured wolf in front of me. It was bigger than me and I felt like I should be running away screaming, but I looked into its eyes, they were Jacobs eyes.

It was Jacob; I knew it was, I could feel it. I whispered his name, and Wolf Jacob nodded at me. I slowly inched closer and closer to him. I held my hand out and stroked his fur. It was so soft and smooth. I walked around the unmoving wolf, taking it all in. The long bushy tail, the big brown eyes, the twitching ears, everything, he didn't move, I think he was afraid of scaring me.

After a while he backed away from me and before I knew it, it was human Jacob in front of me again. He pulled on his jeans and stuffed his top into his pocket. Slowly he walked up to me, and stopped in front of me. "Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded at him. "Are you afraid?"

"No" I whispered, it was all I could manage.

He smiled then, a big, happy smile that seemed to light up the forest and even me. I wanted to run those few steps to him, to have him hold me in his arms, right there. But I didn't, I wouldn't. "Did your dad tell you about imprinting?" he asked me.

Again I nodded, still unable to speak. Imprinting is stronger than love at first sight. The wolf becomes whatever the imprint needs or wants them to be, it's a wolf finding the most perfect person for them, their soul mate. "Do you feel it?" He whispered, referring to the imprint.

"Yes" and I did, it was more than I ever imagined it would be. It was perfect.

He closed the gap between us then and pulled me into his arms. He held me tightly to his chest and I could feel the warmth of his body warming mine and the beating of his heart pounding quickly in his chest. I closed my eyes and wished he'd never let go. But the moment was over far sooner than I would have liked. "Come on or we will be late". He took my hand and directed me through the forest.

When the trees came to an end we were up on the cliff side. There was a fire burning and lots of people sat around it. We got closer and I realised that my parents were there talking happily to the others. I pulled my hand from Jacobs as I stared at them. From the corner of my eye, I watched him follow the direction I was looking and saw the realisation on his face as to why I suddenly wanted to let him go. He smiled at me and led me to a turned over tree trunk to sit.

After a while an older man, slightly older than my parents started talking, he was telling the stories of the tribe. Jacob whispered to me that this was a council meeting for the pack, he said it would be easier for me to hear his dad, Billy tell the stories than for him to try and explain everything. I wondered why my parents were here, why they got to know about all this when no one else did.

"We welcome back an old member of the tribe tonight" Billy said looking towards my father "Brayden and Natalie, we are glad that you are back here with us, as members of the council, and Brayden as a member of the previous pack" That was when it hit me, dad had been a wolf and he had imprinted on mum, that's why he told me the stories, that's why he was so intent on me learning the language and growing up here.

My dad nodded back to Billy and my mum smiled. "And we welcome their daughter, Aria".

I looked at my parents; they looked confused as to why I was here, why I knew about all of this. I looked back to Jacob; he gave me a reassuring smile and squeezed my hand. I tore my eyes away from him and back to my parents again. They understood now I think, I had been imprinted on and they could see it all over my face. Well that will be awkward if they ask me about it. Billy carried on talking but I couldn't bring myself to listen anymore. Everyone stood up then and began to leave so I guessed it was over.

Jacob whispered for me to follow him, so I got up and we left the same way we came. He took me to my front door; "I'll see you tomorrow" he said, hugged me quickly and ran off down the street.


	4. The Pack

**Chapter 4**

**The Pack**

The next few weeks passed in a blur, everything rushing past and me not paying attention to any of it. There seemed to be so much that I needed to concentrate on, my grades, finding a college, my art, Jacob. I was beginning to feel like I didn't have the time for any of it and it was Jacob that was making it difficult for me. He wanted to be around me all the time, which I was insanely happy about at first but now I'm finding myself putting aside everything to hang out with him or watch him rebuild his cars or go to Wolf meetings (as I called them). There wasn't middle anymore and I need one.

I had put off meeting the other wolves for weeks, Jacob kept trying to drag me to see them but I had said I was busy or doing homework or with my parents. Something, anything that would get me out of it. I know it sounds really bad, he just wants me to be a part of his life, but I had a bad feeling about it. Like, if I met all of them that would be it, I would be stuck here in this weird reality for the rest of my life. But it was also kind of more than that. I don't usually believe in psychic's and things like that but I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something would go wrong, like I would be in big trouble if I joined their world. I can't explain it. I tried telling Jake but he just laughed at me and told me I was being silly, and who knows, maybe I am and I'm just nervous about meeting them or something. But it feels like more than that to me.

I was concentrating on this feeling when Jake knocked on my front door and mum shouted up the stairs that he was here. It's that time already. I knew I couldn't put it off anymore and I had agreed to finally meet them at a big beach party that everyone in town was going to, both adults and kids. It was a celebration the tribe had every year to celebrate their prosperity (not in literal money, but in family and friends and happiness).

"I'm not ready yet!" I called down, panic in my voice. "Just pull yourself together, Aria" I whispered to myself, "Jake is right". I took in a deep breath.

"Yeah, Jake is right… behind you" he laughed.

I whirled around, shocked to find him here, I was stood in the centre of my room, in only my underwear. He looked directly at my face; I guess he was trying to be a gentleman. I suddenly felt extremely under dressed and vulnerable. He smiled warmly at me and pulled me into a long, heartfelt embrace.

"Hello, beautiful" he whispered into my hair.

I pulled away from him a little bit so that I could look up into his face. I had curled my long golden hair and it tickled my lower back as I looked up at him. After a while the look on his face slowly began to change to concern. "What's wrong?" he asked me.

"Nothing. I just…." I sighed. "I don't know what I'm supposed to wear". He laughed so loud it made me jump.

"Anything, you'll look beautiful no matter what you wear".

"I can't just wear anything!" I replied exasperated. "It's a party, on the beach, and it's freezing! Do you not see my dilemma?"

"Ummm… no?" Jake muttered.

I pulled away from him and walked to my wardrobe. "No of course you don't! You're a guy that's permanently warm!" I was being a little harsh, I knew it, but I couldn't help it. I still had that stupid feeling, a gut feeling that this was a bad idea. I grabbed my phone and dialled Lucy's number. "Hey, what are you wearing tonight?" I asked a little too quickly.

"You're not even dressed yet? You're going to be late!" Lucy was one for being very punctual. She gave me a detailed explanation of a dress she was wearing, red and flowing and hung up saying she needed to finish her hair.

Jake waited patiently whilst I searched through my clothes, eventually choosing my thickest pair of black leggings and a royal blue, long sleeved, body con dress. It complimented my eyes well, making them an even brighter shade of green and it was comfortable. "How about this?" I turned to ask Jacob.

He smiled at me lovingly. "It's perfect… Does this mean we can go now?" I sighed and turned to look in the mirror at myself, anything to put off leaving the house. "Aria, even your parents have left!" Jake was growing impatient.

"Fine." I stormed out of my room, grabbing my shoes and bag off my bed on the way. Jacob followed me without saying anything else.

I locked the front door and turned. Jacob was already in the car with the ignition on. I took yet another deep breath a joined him, slamming the door a little too hard in my frustration. We took the short drive to the beach in silence. Me brooding over the reason why he really wanted me to come to this party, him afraid to upset me.

We got out the car also in silence and started the walk across the beach nearer the centre of the party. There was music playing loudly, so loud in fact that you could barely hear the waves crashing onto the shore. People had brought lanterns and flash lights which made the night beach look like it was glittering. There were no clouds in the sky and a full moon beamed down on us, joined by millions of sparkling stars. It was beautiful, I had to give him that much.

Before we hit the group of people Jacob was aiming for, my friends were already in front of us, each babbling crazily and at the same time. Before I knew what had even been said, I had been dragged off in the direction of a group of boys and was being introduced. I joined in the animated conversations of the group, pleased to put off meeting the wolves. (I had seen them from afar and that night at the council meeting and to be honest, a few of them scared me a bit.)

I was talking with a boy named Lucas about music, some bands we both liked, when I turned and caught a glimpse of them all staring at me. I turned away quickly, hoping that they hadn't realised I had noticed, but let's be fair, they have super eyes, they saw. Lucas was a year older than me and had said he'd seen me around the reservation. I remembered bumping into him whilst trying to get out of the rain one time when I first moved here. I apologised and told him that that happens a lot with me. He laughed it off and told me I'd get used to the rain eventually.

"I guess it's great for you that it's not raining tonight too, huh?" he asked me happily.

"We wouldn't all be here if it were… would we?"

"Yes, this party happens every year, no matter what. We had it in a thunder storm one year". I was shocked and let him tell me all about it.

"Well, if there's the tiniest sign of rain, I'm going home, and that is the same for every other year that I'm here."

We continued like that for some time until someone took me by the elbow and pulled me off to one side. I turned to see Seth's face in front of me. I gave him the "what the hell are you doing face" and waited stubbornly for my reply.

"You need to come and hang out with Jake, if you don't he will flip out pretty soon" there was clear warning in his voice and anger and worry on his face.

"I don't understand" I said confused.

"He imprinted on you Aria, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that for the rest of your lives he will be the jealous type."

"You have got to be kidding me!" I was angry and shouting. "We aren't even together!"

"That doesn't matter and isn't the point."

"It is exactly the point!" I screamed.

"You came here with him!" Seth was trying to stay calm and to calm me down too, but it was really working out well for him.

"He forced me here with him!"

"Aria, just… stop shouting"

"Well, I'm angry."

"I don't care. You have an obligation and a responsibility in Jake whether you like it or not. He's completely besotted by you, head over heels in love with you. Are you telling me you don't care?" His voice was calm but rushed.

I looked into his eyes and saw something in them that I hadn't seen before, it was knowing, understanding. "I get that you don't really understand the imprint", he was whispering now. "And I get that a part of you doesn't want it, believe me, I'm in the same boat. But it has happened and it's permanent, it can't be undone. I'm not telling you that you have to fall in love with him and spend the rest of your life here, but I am telling you that either way he will always be in love with you. And you have to respect that, and you can make this easier on him by not making him jealous. When you go somewhere with him you go with him, not use him for a lift."

"I did not use him for a lift! My parents are here, I could have come with them! I am making friends. You were the one who told me "everyone needs friends"! He wants me to be friends with you guys so much, he can't just change his mind because it is a guy he's not friends with!"

"Aria… He will do nothing but give you everything you want and need for the rest of your life. Starting the day he imprinted on you. He deserves more than this and you know it." Seth was right. Seth is always right. But I wasn't about to just not talk to other guys because Jacob didn't like it, that wasn't right. "You know the right thing to do here is to come over there with me, but will you?"

"Stop guilt tripping me Seth!" he pulled a face, offended. "Fine" I breathed.

He gave me a quick hug and pulled me away by the arm. I turned my head and waved at Lucas. Maybe I could come back and talk to him later.

They had built a small fire of their own off to one side and were all sat in a half moon around it facing the shore. I wondered if they always kept themselves this isolated from everyone else in the tribe and figured that they probably did. It would be easier to keep their secret if they didn't know anyone else to tell it to. Seth sat down leaving a gap for me between him and Jacob who was in deep conversation with one of the other guys. I sat down silently and stared into the fire, watching the flames lick at the branches and leaves.

The heat washed over my face and body and began to warm me immediately. It was nice; it had been a lot colder over with the others. I didn't really care that I was being ignored; in fact it was nice for once. I knew it wouldn't be long until someone felt like they had to talk to me so I took the time to enjoy the peacefulness around me, staring blindly into the flames and wondering how hot they really were.

"Are you okay?" Seth asked me quietly, even though we both knew they could all hear him.

I tore my eyes away from the brightness of the fire and found his face searching mine, worried for the answer. I nodded at him and turned away. I wasn't in the mood for talking anymore, the argument between Seth and I had dramatically changed my mood. I took to staring back at the flames; hoping time would hurry past so that I could go home.

"I don't believe you", he stated.

"There is no point in me being here, at least over there with my friends I was having fun" I told him coldly, not bothering to turn back and look at his face.

Someone moved beside me and a female voice was talking to me. "Hi, I'm Emily." The voice said.

I turned to look at her. The side of her face closest to me had three long scars from her forehead all the way down to her hand. The other side though, was beautiful, my heart panged as I wished I could be the pretty. "Aria" I answered back.

"Are you alright? You seem kind of quiet", she smiled at me warmly.

Emily was Sam's (Alpha / pack leader) wife, she had been imprinted on a long time ago, and it was Sam who had given her the scars. "Does it get easier? This whole imprinting thing I mean" she smiled at me.

"It was never hard for me, for any of us. We've lived here our whole lives and the people of this tribe don't exactly dream for big things. You're battling with the things you have always know you would do, and the new things that potentially ruin those for you. It's understandable that you're reluctant about it".

She was nice and understanding, the sort of person you just really could not hate. "Would I be a bad person for saying I want both?" I asked her uncertainty in my voice.

"No, of course not" Emily laughed. "There is nothing to say you can't have both either, it might just take some figuring out."

"I can't have both" I whispered, "I don't want to stay here, it's not my home".

"It might be one day though" she was trying to be reassuring but it wouldn't help.

I had thought about it a lot over the past couple of weeks. Jacob has to stay here, and I need to leave. If an imprint really is supposed to be the person who is perfect for you then why did whoever or whatever choose me for Jake?

Someone sat down next to Emily and put their arm around her, I realised it was Sam. I smiled at him but it didn't touch my eyes. We spoke for a while but they both soon got up and left. Before I even had a chance to turn back to the fire two others came and took their places. They introduced themselves as Quil and Embry, Jacob's best friends growing up and talked animatedly at me. They were both overly happy and very talkative; they reminded me of Seth although they seemed slightly more mature then him. They told me funny stories about Jacob and after a while even he turned around to join in with them.

I didn't have to say much, just listen and smile and laugh at the right time, but it was nice to see Jake with his friends, not having to worry about something or the other. I began to wonder why I had been so worried about meeting them, what had I thought was going to happen. Nothing bad could happen to me with sixteen gigantic wolf humans around me anyway. I began to relax and join in more with the talk.

Colin and Brady soon joined in too and before I knew it I had been introduced to everyone and was actually enjoying myself. It was nice to get to listen to their stories as wolves and find out all their trade secrets like their synchronised minds when they are in wolf form. It was also great for a change to be able to ask the others questions and get different answers. The longer it went on the more I felt like they were really accepting me as part of their group.

And there it was again. That feeling in my stomach that told me this was a bad idea. It was stronger now and far more real than it had been before. I looked over towards the trees. The others were laughing and talking around me but I wasn't paying any attention anymore. I was looking at a group of people, far enough away that everyone at the party was paying no attention to them. They had been staring directly at our group I realised, maybe even directly at me.

I couldn't move or breath, all I could do was stare at them as that feeling in my stomach covered my whole body and panic rose inside me. Without realising what I was doing I stood up slowly, my body shaking. I could hear voices asking if I was alright, but I couldn't answer. I couldn't look away from them and they looked straight back at me.

Eventually someone realised what I was looking at and before I knew it they were running, all of them, Jacob, Seth, Sam. Running towards the people stood at the edge of the forest. Then they were gone, disappeared behind the trees.

I found myself sitting back on the tree trunk, looking around me to see who was left. I saw Emily, Kim, Rachel, Colin and Brady. I was unsurprised to see the other imprints still here but seeing Colin and Brady shocked me. When I had asked why, they said in case we needed protecting but no one said anymore as we all waited impatiently for the wolves return. I tried to ask who they were but Colin said "Jake might not want us to tell you" and that was it, end of the conversation.

We waited for over an hour. The beach party was drawing to an end and mum came and asked if I wanted a lift home, I took it thankful for not having to wait around in silence anymore, when all I really wanted to do was scream. I said goodbye to the others and set off home with mum and dad, praying that Jacob would be okay.

Mum tried to ask me where the others ran off to. It was dad that answered her. "Some vampires turned up" he muttered looking through the rear view mirror at me concerned. "I think they were Volturi" Brayden whispered to Natalie, but I caught it.


	5. Something's Wrong

**Chapter 5**

**Something's Wrong**

I woke up to a tapping on my window. I sat up and pulled the curtain open, I almost screamed when I saw someone perched on the window sill outside. It was Jake, and I rushed to open the window to let him in.

The cold night air bit my skin; I was wearing a strappy top and too small shorts to sleep in. I shivered as he closed the window and turned to look at me. He was wearing shorts too, but no t-shirt or shoes. I looked at his muscled chest, stomach, arms, taking it all in for a moment. He was too perfect, more perfect than an angel I decided. He watched me look at him, I was still half asleep. Once my eyes were fully adjusted to the darkness, I looked up to his face reluctantly, but I did not see any signs of happiness there.

I shivered again, still cold from not being under my covers and fast asleep. Jacob carefully pushed me to lie back down and covered me back up. He lay on his side and propped his head up with his arm looking at me. I could feel the warmth of his body seeping through my covers already and moved a bit closer to him for more heat. After a while I decided that he wasn't going to say anything, perhaps he has just wanted me to know that he was safe. I sighed and turned over to go back to sleep. Jacob shifted on my bed; he got under my covers and put his arms around me. I fell asleep for the first time since being here smiling.

I woke up the next morning alone, the place where Jacob had laid was stone cold so I knew he had been gone a while. Perhaps he still wasn't talking to me after yesterday. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, forcing away my sleepiness.

After getting dressed for the day (well afternoon) I took out my painting supplies. I painted Wolf Jacob from memory, knowing that it wouldn't look anything like him really. I had only seen him in wolf form a couple of times and still wasn't really used to the idea that my perfect Jacob was also something so big and terrifying, I don't really dwell on it too much.

I had already finished and put everything away by the time he came into my room that evening. Still he didn't say anything he just sat on my bed and watched me get changed. I had just been in the shower to get the paint out of my hair. I pulled on some grey joggers and a white t-shirt without looking at him. The silence was bugging me, why bother coming here if all he's going to do is sit and stare at me and then leave? I glanced over to him properly for the first time. He looked exhausted and immediately, I began to worry about him.

I waited impatiently for him to say something, but he never did. Eventually I turned the TV on and watched some stupid show, unsure what I was supposed to do or say. His staring didn't bother me so much, at least not as much as the silence between us.

Eventually I couldn't take it anymore. "Either tell me what the hell is wrong or leave 'cause it's doing my head in" I whispered irritated.

I turned to look at him, demanding an answer. "How long has it been?" he asked me.

"How long has what been?"

"Since I imprinted on you" he sounded hurt, and my heart reached out for him.

"I don't know". I looked down at my hands guiltily.

"Yes you do" he whispered.

"I don't" I confessed, "Like a couple of months?" I asked him.

"It's been 4 months"

"Okay…."

He didn't reply for a while, just sat there thinking. "We're still not together." I almost didn't hear him he spoke so quietly, but I knew he was speaking to me. I didn't say anything, what was I supposed to say to that? "We act like we are, like I stay round and I hold your hand and things and we're still not together."

"Well, actually friends can do all those things, it's not like we kiss or anything…" I trailed off blushing.

"So when I thought we were making some kind of progress you just thought I was being your friend?" he asked me with unrestrained pain in his voice.

"This is a far more complicated situation than normal Jake" I reassured him pointlessly.

"You don't want to be with me". It wasn't a question because he thought he knew the answer.

"Where has all of this come from?"

"When you and Seth argued at the beach party about me…" He trailed off not needing to explain.

"He showed you that?" I asked, referring to Seth's memory of the argument. Jacob just nodded, I thought too emotional to speak.

"Jake, I'm not keeping my distance because I don't want to be with you." He didn't believe me. "I just don't want to be here. When I found out we were coming here, I had no intention on staying and part of me still doesn't. The only thing that will keep me here is you."

"So stay." He pleaded with me. "Stay here with me".

I looked into my lap, tears spilling silently from my eyes. "I don't belong here in this world, Jake. I belong to art and music and none of that is here".

He didn't speak for a long time, and neither did I. "So, it doesn't matter to you what I want?" he asked me bitterly.

"Yes, but if I stay here for you, I will end up hating you for it." I whispered.

He rose silently and left, leaving me sobbing in my room.


	6. Danger Ahead

**Chapter 6**

**Danger Ahead**

Another week of school passed and I hadn't seen Jacob once. "He's avoiding me" I realised as I headed out of my last class on Friday. It had been a miserable and long week without him, although it had given me the time I need to catch up on school work and other stuff, I couldn't help but miss him. I must have really upset him, really hurt him, nothing short of that would keep him away from me. I did as he wished and hadn't gone looking for him; it was obvious he didn't want me around.

People were beginning to ask where he was and if we'd broken up at this point. I kept repeating that I didn't know and that we were never together but they didn't seem convinced. Because of Jacob's absence I hadn't seen much of Seth either which I regretted immediately. It sucks that my friendship with him is tied to my relationship with Jacob.

I'd had enough by now as I stomped to my car and got in slamming the door. I headed home gloomily expecting nothing from my weekend except sitting alone in my room waiting for school again on Monday.

I pulled up outside the house but didn't get out of the car for a while; I just sat staring at it, hating it for ruining my life. Of course it wasn't the houses fault that Jacob hated me, but I didn't want to blame myself. Eventually I pulled myself together and headed for my room. I'd been given no homework to do all day and the work I had been set in the week was already finished thanks to my suddenly free evenings.

I hated myself for hurting Jacob so badly, but this situation was a lot different for me than it was for him. He had been a wolf a long time; he knnown about imprinting, he had even expected it. He'd basically been waiting for it to happen so that he could get over Bella. I couldn't help but wonder then, if that's the only reason he was interested in having me around at all, because with me he forgot about _her. _I shook the idea from my head as I stared at myself in the mirror.

I was sat crossed legged on the floor, wearing dark blue skinny jeans and a beige top. My hair hung around my shoulders, down and straight and my eyes glistened with tears that would not fall. I looked at the person in the mirror and hated her. For a moment she was the one who had upset Jacob, who had broken his heart and I loathed her, every fibre of my being despised her. And then I was back again, I was the girl in the mirror and she was me, and I was staring at myself, realising that I didn't know myself anymore. I would have never said those things to Jacob, I would have loved him and wanted him and at least tried to find a way to be with him and follow my dreams. "I will find a way" I promised myself.

I grabbed my laptop off of my bed, I would have to just give up my dream school and go to a college closer to here. After some digging around on the internet I found what I was looking for. Academy of Art University in San Francisco, it's about 16 hours away but that's better than New York which is days away. I filled in the application online and sent it immediately along with some photographs of my paintings, already impatient for a response.

After dinner there was a sharp tap on my door. I turned round to find Seth in my door way. I watched him stand there uncomfortably for a while. "You can come in Seth; you've been in my room before". He hesitated but walked in uncomfortably, still not saying anything. "Are you going to talk to me or just stand there?" I asked him irritably.

"We need to talk".

"I figured. School was fine this week by the way as you weren't there."

"Yeah, there's been some stuff going on with the pack." He sat down on my bed watching me closely. I didn't respond.

He sighed and covered his face with his hands for a while. Eventually he began. "The vampires from the beach party keep coming back."

"The Volturi?" I asked.

"Yeah… how did you know?" He asked confused.

"I heard dad tell mum."

He nodded and continued. "There's something here they want and we have no idea what it is. At first we thought it was the Cullen's, but they don't go to Forks, they keep coming here."

That explains why Jacob looked so tired the last time I saw him. "What makes you think it's an it?" I asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"What makes you think they want something not someone?"

"What interest would the Volturi have in a human?" he asked me.

"Well since I found out about Vampires and Werewolves I've been thinking. You guys keep your selves a secret from the humans and other Vampires. Vampires keep themselves as secret. What's to say that there aren't other… things… out there that you just don't know about?" I asked him.

"Well, technically there isn't, but you would have thought that the Cullen's or the packs before ours would have come across them." He replied.

"Not necessarily. It's only been since Bella that the Cullen's really paid attention to the humans and you guys don't exactly roam out of your little pack do you, you all just stay here, running around in circles defending the tribe. If there is something else out there then it probably would have passed you straight by." I told him.

It was a good point and he knew it but the look on his face told me that he most definitely didn't agree. "It's doubtful" he said.

"Then I'd say they're looking for a human."

"Why?"

"When I saw them on the beach, they were staring, watching us. They weren't attacking, they weren't there for food, they were surveying, watching… I don't know, like they were learning. Also I have this gut feeling it's a human they're after, and I am normally right about these things."

He studied my face for the better part of five minutes before saying. "I think you're right. They were watching us, more importantly Aria; I think they were watching you."

I scoffed. "Why would they be watching me?"

"I keep replaying it, the way they stood there, your reaction to them being there, and every time they've been here, they've been running in the same direction which is directly for your house. Jacob and Sam won't listen though, we've been phased when I've tried to figure it out but they keep saying that the Volturi wouldn't risk anything for a human."

I stared at him a while, speechless. "So what you're telling me is that you think that there is a huge group of people killing vampires who are hunting for me?"

"Yeah."

"And the one person who is supposed to protect me - of all people - from them won't believe you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh".

"He only won't listen because he's mad at you and doesn't want any excuse to come back if you're just going to leave for New York." He told me unhappily.

"I applied for San Francisco instead." I muttered.

"What?" Seth's voice was surprised and relieved.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I hated myself for what I said to him, for what I was doing to him… I sent the application off earlier."

"That's great!" Seth was almost yelling. "C'mon".

He dragged me out of the house and into the forest. Before my eyes had adjusted to the darkness there was Wolf Seth, howling. I stood there shaking in the cold, he hadn't even given me time to grab my jacket, and I could barely grab some shoes.

I could hear them all running towards us from different directions. There was the rustling from trees and plants as they passed and the thudding of paws on the damp earth. Then, there they were surrounding us, 15 gigantic wolves with me and Seth in the middle.

I wished I could join in with the mind reading thing, to know what they were saying, to understand why they were all staring at me that way. I waited silently, watching them; the flicking of one wolfs tail and the twitching ears of another. The only one I recognised was Jacob and of course Seth next to me and again I hated myself for having not met them sooner. These were Jacob's brothers; I should know what they look like in both forms. It made me wonder how he hadn't hated me before now and the thought of it saddened me.

I walked over to a nearby fallen tree and leaned against it glad to be out of eye line of the wolves whilst they had their discussions. I saw their approach from the corner of my eye; they seemed to drift up to the pack who turned to face them. The Cullen's. They were the most beautiful people you have ever seen. Their skin as white as snow, and ambers eyes that didn't miss a thing. The vampire family seemed quite comfortable being amongst them, and each noted my presence with a sniff of the air or a glance at me. Carlisle, a stunning blonde haired man and a doctor at the hospital in Forks smiled at me warmly, which I returned pleasantly. These vampires were unlike the majority of their kind, they didn't feed on human blood, and they had the amber eyes to prove it. (Vampires that do drink human blood have red eyes making them look even more menacing than I already knew them to be).

Edward the bronze haired boy could read minds, he mumbled quickly to his family what the pack were saying to him and Carlisle replied just as fast. They seemed to come to the same conclusion quickly and all turned to me. Some of the wolves phased back to their human form, I thought that it was in case I was feeling vulnerable or scared or something. Edward seemed to catch onto my line of thoughts probably by interpreting Jaspers gift of feeling others emotions and modifying them, as he smiled at me nicely and nodded. I rolled my eyes at him which he seemed to find amusing.

Jacob looked at me coldly in his now human form; I turned away from it quickly, hurting. It didn't last long though and I figured Jasper had something to do with that. I looked at him thankfully and he just smiled quickly in approval. I looked at the floor wishing Seth hadn't dragged me here, I hadn't exactly made any input, I just stood here waiting for one of them to guide me back out of the woods so I could go back to brooding in my room.

Seth watched the encounter closely and seemed worried. He muttered something too quiet for my human ears and everyone looked at Jacob. His face looked surprised. "Are you sure?" he asked Seth desperately. Seth nodded but said nothing. Jacob looked back to me, all hatred gone and nothing but pure love in his eyes. Still I looked away, embarrassed by his sudden show of emotion and unsure of what had been said. It won't have been my college change because Seth would know that that was just between us, wouldn't he? My eyes grew wide as I realised I never actually told him that part. Great. I might not get in and I had applied to a few other colleges further away. On top of that I didn't want Jacob to think that this suddenly meant we were together and I had a sinking feeling that he would.

I couldn't bring myself to ask someone to take me home; I couldn't make the words come out. Edward sidled closer to me and whispered "They need you here, we think you and Seth might be right, so we need to figure out what it is that they want from you."

I looked up at him, I definitely saw what Bella had seen in him, but he still wasn't anything compared to Jacob. He smiled "that's the imprint talking" he joked with me.

I smiled back. "What would the Volturi want with me? They can have any human they want, they're not hunting me." I said more loudly than I had wanted.

"No they're not. We have no idea what they want." He looked at me curiously. "You've thought this through haven't you?"

I nodded at him. "I've spent all of my time not at school pretty much alone for the past week; I ended up having a lot of time to think".

"Well, I am sorry to say that it seems there is danger ahead" he mention apologetically.


	7. Love

**Chapter 7**

**Love**

Seth directed me back home and ran off in the direction we came in. I collapsed sleepy on my bed and drifted off to sleep soon after.

I was running in the forest, trees streamed past me as I breathed in the heady scents of the forest. I could feel the damp earth underneath my hands and feet. That seemed odd, why would I be running on all fours? I could hear the trickling water from the stream not too far away; I altered my direction and headed for it, fast. I could smell the salty water before I could see it and had to come to an abrupt stop before the stream. I looked down at my reflection, but what I saw shocked me. It was my green eyes staring back at me but they were far too large, they were the only thing I recognised. I looked myself over, confusion rattling through my brain. I saw a gigantic, fluffy, white wolf staring back at me with my eyes.

My eyes slowly moved to my feet, massive paws in the place my hands should be. I looked back to the water not really looking at myself anymore, too many questions were rumbling through my head. What the hell was going on?

I heard a bush rustle behind me and saw movements in the extremely reflective water. Wolf Jacob crept to my side and looked down at my reflection with me. He smiled at me, or at least I think he did and I watched him turn and nuzzle my neck with his snout lovingly.

Then they were there, behind us, ready to leap. The Volturi, vampire royalty, the most dangerous coven in the world. Then they pounced, before we were ready. Some distracted Jacob whilst the others landed on top of me; I heard a bone snap and cried out in pain.

I woke screaming. As soon as I realised that I was in my room, safe and human I stopped. I sat up and turned on the lamp beside me, breathing heavily, trying to discard the nightmare. I held my head in my hands and waited for the dream to pass. After a while, I forced myself to lie back down and tried to focus on going back to sleep.

It was no use, I was awake and still shaking, I wasn't going to shift this dream tonight, and I knew it. Instead I turned the TV on and put a DVD in.

My window opened making me jump; I turned just in time to see Jacob climbing through it. "Mum and dad aren't here; you could have just knocked on the door". I told him rather bluntly which I immediately regretted.

"Oh, sorry, but I didn't think you'd still be awake" he mumbled, I thought he seemed disappointed that I was.

"I was until about half an hour ago, had a bad dream…" I trailed off.

"What about?" He asked me, worried.

"Nothing…"

"What we watching?" He asked wrapping his arms around me.

"Fast 5, you haven't seen it?" I asked him.

He shook his head at me and shifted to get more comfortable. I snuggled into him feeling much safer now that he was here. By the time the film was over I had turned over to look at Jake and ended up watching him, watch the film. As the credits ran, Jake leaned over me for the remote and turned off the TV and light.

My eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness, but once they had I found Jake still looking down at me. "I missed you". He whispered.

"Me too", I whispered back.

His hand found my face and brushed down it from my temple to my chin. It left a warm tingly trail and I loved him for it immediately. He smiled at me, a smile I had never seen before, full of love and lust and need.

"You changed colleges for me" he stated.

I nodded at him too breathless for words. I hadn't seen this look in his eyes before, a smouldering, warm, loving look that seemed to tear me from reality. As I looked up into his eyes it was like nothing else in the world existed except us right here.

"Thank you" he whispered. "I can't tell you how much that means to me or how much I love you for it".

I eyes widened suddenly, he'd never said he loved me before. I mean we both knew it because of the imprint but neither of us had put it into words. I didn't know whether I was just supposed to pretend like I hadn't noticed or not, but I think it was too late for that.

"Is it okay that I just said that?" He asked me.

I nodded; it was because I loved him too. He leaned into me and his lips were on mine before I even realised it, caressing them. The warm touch of his lips made my heart race and pound against my chest, and my head swim. I pulled my arms up and wrapped them around his bare back, pulling him closer to me. His hands slid down my side and back up underneath my top, gripping me around the ribs.

He pulled away to look at me. I was breathing heavily, still disconcerted by the sudden situation. He giggled at me and I gave him an angry face.

"I'm sorry," he laughed. "I just love the reaction your body had to mine." He grinned at me.

"It was unexpected," I breathed.

"I know, but good unexpected right?" He asked me.

I answered by pulling him back down to my lips and kissing him again a little more gently than before.

He lay back down next to me after a while and pulled me into him. I laid my head on his bare chest and listened to his abnormally fast heartbeat, suddenly aware that he could hear mine all the time, and then realising that may have been what he meant about my reaction to him.

He lightly traced his fingers up and down my arm as I followed his muscled chest and stomach with my own. "I love you Aria" he said kissing my forehead lightly.

"I love you too," I whispered.

We both just laid there in silence after that, enjoying each other's caresses and soon, I fell asleep in Jakes arms wishing I could stay there forever.

I woke startled the next morning, waking Jake up in the process. I sat up staring directly in front of me as I tried to place everything right in my head. I'd had a dream that felt far too real to really be a dream and I had enough reason to be suspicious of it.

It all made so much sense now, why the Volturi would be after a human, it was stupid that none of us had thought of it before, especially considering Edward and Bella's history.

"What's wrong?" Jake questioned me.

"I just had a dream, which I don't think it was really a dream Jake, I think it was real."

I turned to look at him, my face serious and worried. He looked at me in disbelief for a while but didn't say anything.

"Jake, you know that some vampires have certain abilities, do you reckon it's possible that one of the Volturi's ability is to control people's dreams?"

"Yeah, I would have thought so" he told me concerned.

"I …. I…" I sighed, "I had a dream about one of the vampires that were on the beach that night. It kept referencing my smell, and he seemed quite … I don't know like… besotted by it. And he said, I quote "We will be together soon, my love"".

By the time I was finished trying to explain the confusing dream, Jacob was shaking. He jumped off my bed, out the window and into the forest as Wolf Jacob before I had time to process what he was doing.

_**Just want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed and alerted my fanfic.**_

_**Especially annoontje, and Emily Rush for constantly reviewing, it really helps to know I'm going in the right direction.**_


	8. The Dreams

**Chapter 8**

**The Dreams**

The next few days passed in a blur, we were on school vacation and I spent most of my time at Emily and Sam's house. The wolves were constantly busy, Sam had tightened patrol and the Volturi vampires just kept coming. It was slowly becoming obvious that they wouldn't stop until they got what they were here for, me.

Not only were the wolves on high alert, the Cullen's had stepped in to help and I was never left alone. Every time I slept, I dreamt about Nikolas (as I learned his name was), and the dreams were becoming more and more vivid every time.

"Aria, my love, do tell me what is wrong". He spoke softly in my ear, his musical voice tainted with concern.

I shook my head and looked deep into his blood coloured eyes. Nikolas caressed my cheek, his cold, stone hands brushed smoothly against my skin as I blushed. He smiled warmly at me, edging closer so that my scent would fill him. My head swam with thoughts of him, touching me, kissing me, loving me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and gently pulled me into him. I smiled up at him, eyes full of lust and need; I wanted to be with him forever. Slowly, teasingly, his lips were on mine, his tongue brushing mine. I melted into him, into the kiss; it was what I had been waiting for all along. I deepened the kiss, wanting it to last longer, go further and it did. We were lying on the bed before I knew it, our hands flying over each other's bodies as we both took pleasure from the other.

I drifted slowly out of this dream, as I had from the others like it, peaceful and content at first. But the reality of it hit me and I forced open my eyes to find Emily's front room welcoming me. I pushed myself up out of an uncomfortable position to find the room overflowing with the pack. I rubbed my eyes and tried to shake off the dream, they were becoming so realistic I could still smell Nikolas' scent and taste his lips on mine. I shuddered at the thought. He was trying to court or woo me into loving him in my dreams, by showing me what he thinks we would have together.

Seth looked over to me, concern written clearly over his face, I looked away from him feeling guilty for not telling the others the direction Nikolas was forcing my dreams. I didn't want to upset or anger Jacob by telling him what happened in them, knowing fully well what would happen if they knew. Patrol would be even longer and harder on them all and it would end in a fight. I was hoping it wouldn't come to that but I am kidding myself to think otherwise. Truthfully, the reason I didn't want Jacob to know what Nikolas and I were doing in my dreams was because I knew it shouldn't be with Nikolas, it should be with Jake and I felt guilty for it, like I am cheating on him. It's out of my control, I know that, but I can't help but feel bad.

The dreams were taking everything out of me; they've become so genuine and lifelike that I was getting little to no rest. I yawned and shivered. I looked around myself at the candles and flashlights placed in the room confused.

"Powers out", Quil mumbled.

"How long for?" I asked a little too loudly.

"Nearly an hour."

"How long was I asleep for?" I thought it had been 10 minutes.

"About an hour and a half." Emily smiled.

I felt my eyes widen in disbelief and she nodded happily at me. What a waste of my evening. I sat listening to their conversation, paying more attention when I realised it was about the Volturi.

"We have to find a way to shake them off!" Embry piped up.

"How? They won't stop till they get what they came for" Paul argued.

"There has to be something we can do" Seth interjected.

They quietened looking at Sam for answers. I turned towards him too, to find him looking at me. I held his gaze as long as I could before turning away, uncomfortably.

It was a few long minutes before Sam replied. "We just have to wait them out. Eventually they will be prepared to fight us instead of getting chased away, and when they do we have no choice but to win."

Everyone silently stared at him, each wishing that there was more they could do. I felt helpless. I wished that they would just take the fight to the Volturi, get it over and done with, but being here gave the pack some advantages. The area was good for large and small scale fights, there was wood for burning the ripped up pieces of vampires, it was undercover so the humans wouldn't get in the way but mostly this was their territory. Theirs to defend and protect and being on it would only spur them on.

We all just sat in silence, no one really sure what to say or do. The room was so tense, each wolf radiating heat and anger at the Cold Ones for choosing one of their imprints. I stared into my lap wishing Jacob was here with me, he was out on patrol as he was most nights. It probably wasn't even his turn. He obsessed over protecting me, so much so, that he was out running patrol night and day with whoever was already out there. I had barely seen him over the week, except in passing and I hated it. More than anything, I hated knowing that it would be like this until someone won me.

I shuddered trying not to think about it. If the pack didn't win, I would end up a monster and with a monster. I shook my head, trying to wash away these thoughts that haunted me. I focused on thinking about Jacob, his face, his eyes, his muscles. I tried to remember everything about him, his voice, his smell, his favourite song. I smiled to myself, my Jacob.


	9. Hurting Jacob

**Chapter 9**

**Hurting Jacob**

The howling outside Emily's front window made us imprints jump a little, it was unexpected. Jared rushed into the house after being on patrol for hours and sought refuge in Kim's arms. Kim had an unobvious beauty about her, the more you looked at her, the prettier she became. Being Jared's imprint had coaxed her into talking to me with Emily and Rachel as I became one of them.

"Just think, Aria, a couple more weeks and school is done for good" she stated happily.

I smiled at her from across the kitchen work surface as we watched Emily prepare yet more food. "Yeah… To be honest I am looking forward to going on vacation. Could use the break". I replied a little more dully than I was expecting. It was okay for Kim, Rachel and Emily, their wolves had been around most of the day, I hadn't seen mine for any long period of time in the last two weeks.

"You don't think that this counts as a break?" she asked me sarcastically gesturing around Emily's home.

"You know what I mean. Sun, Sand, Sea, Heat…" I trailed off imagining Hawaii.

"You'll only get 2 of the 4 here, sand and sea." Emily joked.

"Well then I guess it's lucky I won't be staying here isn't it".

"WHAT?" The three of them yelled at me in unison.

"Yeah. I just said I am going on vacation. 2 weeks in Hawaii, Natalie and Brayden booked it last week."

"Does Jake know about this?" Rachel asked me anxiously.

"Ummm… No…" They gave me disapproving looks. "It's not like he's been around for me to tell him!" I defended.

Emily sighed shaking her head at me. "What? It's okay for him to just leave me for weeks, but it's not okay for me to not go purposefully out of my way to tell him I'm going on vacation for two weeks?" I shrieked. "It's two weeks, it's not like I'm never coming back."

"No, of course it's not okay for him to just kind of ignore you but he's doing it to protect you." Rachel retorted.

I looked at her disbelieving for a while, how could she be defending him? "I get what he's trying to do. Really I do. I just don't understand how he can't see what it's doing to me. I mean look at me!" I said turning to my refection in the upright shiny steel fridge freezer.

I almost cringed as I looked at myself, barely able to recognise the girl there. It was like I was free falling from a cliff, like I'd been pushed off and there was just no end to the downwards spiral. My hair had lost its lustre, my skin lost its glow, and my eyes were no longer shining. I sunk in my seat as I took this me in; the others looked at me, pitying me, seeing the same girl I was seeing. I could barely believe that I was letting this happen to myself, that I had given up trying because he wasn't around anymore. It shouldn't be like this, I shouldn't be this hooked on Jacob that not seeing him would change me this much.

I voiced this opinion to the girls. "To be honest sweetie, I'm not really surprised" Emily frowned. I looked at her questioningly. As she turned to continue chopping the vegetables, she continued, "None of us have ever been away from our wolves long enough to see what would happen. but I can almost certainly say that this reaction was to be expected. After imprinting our life revolves around our wolves, just as much as theirs revolves around ours. Taking it that way, it's really not surprising that you are finding it hard to come up with a reason to carry on or to put effort into anything. Jake became that reason for you the second he imprinted on you."

I let out one sarcastic sounding bitter laugh. "I've had enough of it". I protested.

"So tell him." Kim muttered.

"How can I tell him when he's never around?" I was practically repeating myself!

Someone cleared their voice behind me and the others looked up. I sat frozen waiting for them to tell me it wasn't Jacob. It couldn't be Jacob! Their faces told me otherwise. The shock on their faces soon turned to recognition and then to apologetic, which told me everything I needed to know. Urgh! I really really don't want to deal with this right now.

"How long were you stood there Jake?" Rachel asked quietly.

"Long enough", his voice was rough and he sounded hurt.

"I'm headed home, bye guys" I mumbled hugging Emily before walking out the back door, not even glancing in Jacob's direction.

I know it seems harsh, that I would let him overhear all of that and then just not talk to him, especially when that is what I was complaining about. But I didn't want him to see me like this; I didn't want him to feel bad. I climbed into my car hoping that he wouldn't try to follow me and drove away without turning to look back. I peeked into my rear view mirror to see him standing there watching me drive away from him. I looked away, my heart ripping for hurting him this way. But somehow it made more sense for me to let him protect me like this than, to let him see how much it was affecting me. Maybe it was the only way I could protect him.

The bathroom steamed around me as I wrapped a cream towel around my wet body and grabbed another to start drying my hair. The shower had helped calm me down and decreased the tension I had felt all over my body. Finally relaxed I headed for my room, clean clothes and my warm bed. I stopped still in the doorway; Jacob was sat on my bed, shirtless as always.

I looked down at my feet embarrassed by what he'd overheard not too long ago. I threw the towel I had been using for my hair to the bathroom floor and closed the door behind me. My wet hair fell in strands around my face as I looked up to his face. What I found there made me want to break down and cry right there. Jacobs face was the picture of a broken heart, which just broke mine more.

"I guess we need to talk" he whispered, barely audibly.

I crossed the room and sat by his side. Looking down at my hands in my lap, I remembered I was completely naked apart from the towel. Neither of us spoke for a while, I didn't know what I was supposed to say or how I was supposed to make him feel better but I knew I had to try.

"I didn't mean for you to hear it that way" I mumbled.

"Well I did." It sounded as though he could barely speak, like he was forcing the words out. I nodded silently but said nothing. "I should have known". He was tearing himself apart over this; I could see it out the corner of my eye.

I turned to him fully and looked up into his eyes. "Don't do this to yourself Jake." I pleaded. "Please. For me. Just don't" I took his hand in both of mine and held it on my lap.

"I have to. I should have been here for you." He whispered.

"You were, you are! Everything you have done was to protect me".

"It's not enough".

I stood abruptly, dropping his hand. I paced the room a couple of times, clinging to my towel just in case. I finally came to a stop in front of him, he'd followed my every move and his eyes settled on my face as he looked up at me.

"Just tell me one thing." I asked him, and he nodded. "Have you wanted to be with me all the while you've been doing whatever the hell it is that you've been doing?"

He looked appalled by my question. "Yes! Of course I have!"

I cut him off, "That's the only thing that matters. I get that you are trying to protect me and I thank you for it and love you for it. I just… sometimes I just needed you to be here and you weren't".

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Aria."

"Stop it." I whispered placing my finger on his lips to shush him.

I leaned down bringing my face to his, kissing him softly. "It doesn't matter. You're here now" I whispered into his lips. He pulled me into him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and felt his lace around my waist as he kissed me desperately. He pulled away from me slightly, stopping the kiss from going any further and I snuggled my head into his neck as he hugged me.

"You should put some clothes on" he mumbled into my hair.

"What, you don't like my towel?" I asked him smiling.

He laughed pushing me off of his lap. "Fine", I grumbled, dropping my towel right in front of him as I walked away from him towards my wardrobe. I turned in time to see his face drop at my sudden nakedness and giggled at him. "It's not polite to stare Jake." He tried to say something, anything, but no words came out of his mouth. I laughed at him again before pulling some pyjamas out of the wardrobe and dragging them over me. "Better?" I asked him. He nodded still speechless and held his arms out for me to return to him.

"Don't you have patrol tonight?" I whispered into his neck as I left small kisses along his jaw line and down to his shoulder.

"Uh-Uh, tonight I stay with you."

I pulled away to look into his stunning dark brown eyes. "Thank you". He smiled warmly at me but I wasn't fooled, he was never really going to be here with me when there were vampires out there hunting me. My heart sank some more, all happiness gone with these thoughts.


	10. They Finally Came

_**This is a bit of a longer one after a few short chapters. Enjoy.**_

**Chapter 10**

**They Finally Came**

I had been right about Jacob not really being there with me, his mind was constantly somewhere else. I sighed sadly as I woke to find myself alone. I turned over to the clock, it was 8:11 am, the place where Jacob had lay was stone cold, he must have been gone for a at least an hour, probably more.

I glared at the spot for some time, my heart sinking further than ever. I wanted to be angry at him, to go and find him and to scream and fight about it but all I could feel was a deep misery, one that I hadn't ever felt before.

"Aria?" My mum screamed up the stairs, you have a visitor.

This early in the morning? That was odd to say the least. I scrambled out of my bed, making it quickly. There was a sharp tap on my door and I turned to see Seth sliding in through a small gap, shirtless as always.

"You look tired." I say to him, eager to be rid of the silence.

"Yeah…" he mumbled looking down at his hands.

"What's wrong?" I ask him; worry spreading across my face and my gut telling me it was something bad.

"They finally came." He whispered.

I stood frozen to the spot, shock written all over my face. I was unable to move, unable to think. So I just waited.

"We… ur…. We won… But.. um… Jacob got hurt". He rushed the last part.

It felt like my world was collapsing around me. My head went dizzy; my heart was pounding against my chest. I couldn't hold myself up and fell to my bed. Seth caught me and held my upright but I couldn't breathe or move or think. Seth was mumbling to me to calm to, to focus. I couldn't be sure but I think I was having a panic attack.

After sometime I managed to pull myself together. "Did you know?" I asked him. He looked confused and didn't say anything. "Did you know that it was going to be last night?" I repeated. He nodded to me looking ashamed. "Jacob told you not to tell me didn't he?" I yelled angrily. Seth just nodded again looking at his hands. "Why? Why wouldn't he tell me?" All anger gone, I felt lifeless, almost betrayed by him. We were supposed to tell each other everything, no secrets, no lies, that's what we had said.

"He didn't want you to worry or to be scared" Seth muttered as if that made up for it. "To be honest Aria, it's not the most important thing here." I looked at him, trying to create a blank canvas for my face, feeling hurt and alone, but Seth saw straight through it. "He didn't mean for it to upset you." His voice was almost a whisper now. "Aria, he needs you, he's bleeding pretty badly and Carlisle is having trouble making it stop. A vampire called Felix broke two of his ribs and one of them pierced his lung. Carlisle is trying to fix him up but his body is healing too fast and Carlisle keeps having to break the ribs to get to his lung."

"He will be okay though right?" I asked, my voice small and sounding ridiculous.

Seth shrugged heavily, exhausted. "We don't know yet. Carlisle is doing the best he can.

I felt warm tears roll down my cheeks but didn't try to push them away. He didn't even say goodbye when he left. He must had let me fall asleep and then just left me here alone whilst he ran off to save me. I should have known. I could have stopped him from going somehow. I will never be able to forgive myself for this. I could feel my heart breaking for him, hurting because of him but also because he was hurt and I could lose him. Fear spread across my body with the thought of losing him, taking over my soul. I just sat, wrapped in it, feeling as though it wouldn't end.

"You need to get dressed." Seth pulled me out of my reverie. "I'll take you to him." He stood me on my feet and pushed me towards the bathroom.

I tried to go about it normally, but everything I did seemed slow and full of effort. I forgot Seth was there waiting for me and think I ended up getting changed in front of him. I looked up to find him facing the other way which pulled me out of this trance like mode. "Sorry." I whispered.

"It's okay. I didn't look." He tried to smile at me but we both knew it was meaningless.

"I think I'm ready to go." I told him.

We pulled up outside of Jacob's house in my car. Seth was driving as I was too out of it, worrying about Jake, I climbed out slowly to find the whole pack and Billy waiting outside. I closed the door behind me and leant against the car unable to hold myself up. I didn't say anything, none of us did. We just waited.

Jacobs scream made me cringe and shrink into my car. I slid down the car door to sit on the damp ground, a tear slipped down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly, trying to be brave for him.

I couldn't help but think about school starting again tomorrow for a couple of weeks. If Jake missed them again he wouldn't be allowed to re-take the year, this was already his second attempt at graduating. _**(Hence why he is in the same classes as Seth in the beginning and why Quil and Embry aren't there). **_I smiled to myself knowing that if Billy hadn't forced him to go back to school; I probably wouldn't have met him. But the smile turned to sorrow because if I had never met him, this wouldn't have happened to him. We heard him scream out in pain again and I couldn't take it anymore. I put my hands over my ears trying to rid them of the noise but it was stuck in my head telling me that this was all my fault.

Someone came and sat down next to me, putting their arm around me, trying to comfort me. I didn't look at them; from their scent I guessed it was Embry. I laid my head on his shoulder and just waited like everyone else.

Eventually, Carlisle glided out of the house, looking too perfect to be here. Everyone shuffled closer to hear what he had to say. I just stayed were I was, not wanting to hear how badly he was hurt.

"He's going to be okay." Relief spread across Billy's front yard. I kept looking at my hands feeling guilty, feeling like I should be punished for this not Jacob. "The internal bleeding, in his lungs has stopped, I put a couple of stitches in to help his healing process but he should be healed by tonight. He's healing faster than I've ever seen which is what caused the complications. I don't know why his body is healing that quickly." Carlisle said more to himself than to all of us. "His ribs are also in the process of healing, I guess that they will be completely healed within the week. He's going to be absolutely fine, you can stop worrying now. I've put him on a drip, he should be able to come off of it tonight, so I will come back to check on him, if that's okay?" He asked, Billy and Sam both nodded.

Carlisle walked away then leaving us all waiting there. Silence spread through us, all of us thankful that Jakes life was spared. Billy wheeled his way into the house to check on his only son whilst the rest of us waited outside. He wasn't gone long before he came back out.

"He wants to see you Aria". He told me.

I slowly pushed myself up and crept into the little red house. I found my way to Jacob's room and slid through the door closing it shut behind me. I turned to see Jacob propped up on a pillow slumped across his too small bed. I smiled at him sadly and he held his hand out to me. I walked across the room and took it, kneeling on the floor next to him. I kissed his forehead, secretly regretting it after because he was all sweaty.

We just sat for a while staring into each other's eyes, each of us in our own world. "I'm sorry." He murmured looking to me desperately.

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter." And it didn't anymore.

"Yes it does. I should have told you."

"Don't do this to yourself Jake." I whisper to him. "Just get better… Quickly… unless you want to retake the year again." I tried to laugh but it didn't come out right.

He just looked at me for a while. I didn't want to leave him but I knew I had to. "I should go; the others probably want to see you." I tell him.

"I don't want you to go." He begged me.

"I have to. I'll come back tomorrow after school, bring you the work so you don't fall behind. I can type and you can dictate, yeah?" I smile at him. He just nodded looking helpless and I could tell he was feeling alone now that I was going.

I kissed his cheek softly and whispered "Get some rest. I love you." And with that, I stood up and walked away wishing I could stay here with him and knowing that I couldn't.

The first day back at school passed in a blur. I got home to find a letter from San Francisco's Art Academy on the kitchen worktop and a note from my parents saying that they were on yet another of dad's last minute business trip and money for food. I sighed; and ran upstairs to freshen up before going to see Jacob.

I changed into some more comfortable clothes, a pair of black leggings filled with holes thanks to an old tumble drier, and a t-shirt which I realised was actually Jakes after I put it on. I shrugged and sniffed it happily, it still smelled like him. I smiled, grabbing my laptop and rushing back down the stairs, picking up my letter as I hurried out the door.

I pulled up outside Jacob's house to see the most of the pack here again. I got out the car and walked around to the passenger side to pull out by bag full of school stuff, my laptop and letter and headed into the house, stopping briefly to say hi to the others.

"We're glad you're here, he's been going on and on about you all day," Paul joked and pointed me in the direction of Jake's room as if to tell me to go.

I slid inside his room again, with more difficultly this time with the extra baggage and shut the door. I placed everything on the floor and headed to the chair beside Jacob's bed that I recognised from the kitchen. I kissed his (dry) forehead happily and sat down next to him quietly, wanting to let him sleep. He turned to me with groggy eyes and smiled at me sleepily.

"Hi." I whispered.

"You came back." He murmured.

"I said I would, didn't I?" he nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday." He pushed himself up and I hurried to rearrange his pillows for him. "Thanks". He said taking my hand as I sat back down.

"You can sleep, I don't mind" I tell him.

He shook his head. "I'm awake now… My top suits you." He laughed looking me up and down.

I shrugged. "Thought it was mine when I put it on and then just left it on when I realised it wasn't."

There was a small silence for a while as he looked at me, constantly smiling.

"How can you be so happy when you're hurt?" I asked him.

"You're here and you forgave me for keeping stuff from you, I have nothing to be sad about."

"Jake." He looked up at me curiously. "I think I should tell you something about Nikolas." He didn't say anything. "In the dreams… he was making them…" I took a deep breath, "like romantic… He made me want him… Do you get what I'm trying to say without saying it?" I asked him fearfully.

He nodded at me, his body shaking, he was angry. "Jake you can't phase now, you need to heal first. Look at me." He didn't. "LOOK AT ME!" I yelled. This time he slowly turned his head to me. "Jake they were just dreams, they meant nothing to me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just, I didn't want you to get hurt and now you are, so I might as well have told you in the first place. And it's all my fault." I sobbed the last part.

Jake had stopped shaking by now and was looking at me, trying to find a way to comfort me. "It's okay Aria. I guess we're even now. Really it is. And none of this is your fault, it was his, but he's gone now and your safe, and we can be happy together again. I promise." His voice was soothing and kind and gentle and I fell in love with him all over again.

I leaned forwards and kissed him, more passionately than ever before. I pulled away from him slightly but stayed close as I looked into his eyes I knew we would be together forever, no matter what. "I love you so much." I whisper.

"I know, me too" he told me.

"I want you to do something for me." I say as I pull away from his warmth. His face looks at me wondering as I pass him the letter. "Tell me what it says?"

Jacob looked down at it and saw where it was from, both of us hopeful. He ripped open the letter and read it quickly, his face pulling in the biggest grin I had seen from him. "You got in!" he told me.

Every single good emotion ran through me as he told me this. It was perfect, I'd be less than a day away from him, and although that was pretty far, it meant we would be able to see each other often.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur, I sat with Jacob and typed his homework out for him and promised I would hand it in the next day. It took a long time but eventually I got to go home to my empty house and go to sleep, feeling a tradition in the making until Jake got back to school.


	11. Goodbye

**Chapter 11**

**Goodbye**

Graduation day came and passed, and finally we were free for a long summer ahead. Jake accepted a scholarship to a college in Port Angeles, where he decided he would commute so that he could stay at home to help his dad now that Rachel had moved in with Paul. He was going to be doing a mechanics course and was hoping to maybe open his own garage after. I was so happy for him, he's finally beginning to live his life the way he wants it, and not just as the Alpha wolf.

I on the other hand accepted my offer from San Francisco Art University, and am very excited about attending in a month or so. I keep re-reading the acceptance letter from them, thinking that it is all just a dream. Everything had happened so fast since the night Jacob had gotten hurt, he came back to school a week later, still a little weak but getting there. Then we sat finals and had graduation day and we were done. All this happened months ago, since then we have had almost three months of summer vacation. I went to Hawaii with my parents and then came back to cold La Push, Emily was now extremely close to having her baby boy and all of us were closer friends now than I ever thought we would be.

The reason I am reminiscing so much is because I have started packing up my room, trying to get together all the things I would need and want to take with me. School starts in exactly one month but I would be moving a week and a half before then, meaning I only have two and a half weeks to pack and to say my goodbyes.

As I stared down at a dark wooden picture frame with a photograph of Jacob and me inside, I couldn't help but feel a loneliness creep through my body. I was going to miss him so much. We had spent nearly a year being close to inseparable and soon I would be gone, and he would be staying here and everything was about to change. My going away to college was going to be really hard on the both of us, and there is a large part of me that's screaming for me not to go. But I have to, and Jacob wouldn't let me not go. I sighed as I put the picture frame into a box to take it with me as a tear rolled down my cheek.

There was a sharp rap on my door. I quickly wiped the tear away as it opened and someone slipped into my room.

"Hi sweetie." Mum's voice echoed through my room making me feel even emptier.

I smiled up at her but didn't say anything, I didn't need to, she knew what it was like to be an imprint and she knew how hard it would be for me to leave Jake here.

"How's the packing going?" she asked me with sorrow in her eyes and voice.

"Done, except my clothes and things I still need." I tell her dully, as I pushed the now full box across my bedroom floor to the corner of my room with the others.

She sat with me for a while but didn't have anything to say, so eventually got up and left me on my own, with my complicated mixture of feelings.

The next two weeks passed far too quickly. I literally had a couple of days left here before I would leave and I was beginning to find it hard to be around my friends knowing that it would all end soon.

I was sat on my bed, my bare legs were under my duvet and my window opened letting the light of the full moon spill into my room. It was exactly midnight and I knew Jacob would be finishing his patrol right about now. I wondered quietly whether he would come here or go home for a while, but fifteen minutes passed and I came to the conclusion that we had gone home.

I couldn't sleep, there was too much to think about. I was so excited to go and meet new people, take classes at the academy and make new art, but I was also so afraid to leave. This isn't a place I had known for my whole life but I had become accustomed to being here, and grown to love the small town I had thought I would hate so much. With every day that passed I felt a hole in my heart grow, knowing exactly what I would be leaving behind. I tried so hard to not torture myself this way but I couldn't help it, this place had become my home and my new friends had become my family and I was opting to leave them.

My bed dipped as Jacob climbed through the window and sat down next to me. His warm arms engulfed me and pulled me onto his lap, warming my whole body. I sighed as I laid my head on his chest and breathed in his forest-y scent. Maybe I had it wrong, it isn't La Push that's my home, it's where ever Jacob is that's my home.

"Aria?" Jacob breathed into my neck sending chills down my spine and forcing my heart to thump against my ribs.

"Mmm?" I asked.

"Why are you practically naked?" he forced himself to laugh it out but I could feel his arousal against me.

"I'm in my underwear." I told him confused.

He didn't answer me; he just turned me to face him and kissed me so unexpectedly, with a fierce passion that I reciprocated. Our hands roamed each other's bodies as the kiss turned into something more. This is where we would usually force ourselves apart, uncertain of whether we should take it further but not tonight.

Jacob ripped my underwear off of me and laid me down on the bed beneath him. Still kissing him I unbuttoned his cut-off jeans and attempted to pull them down. He finished the job for me when I became too distracted in my own pleasure. He took me there and then, burring himself inside me forcing me to call out his name.

I woke up in Jacob's arms, our faces close together, our bodies meeting where ever possible. I smiled at him happily and sleepily which he replied with a small, soft kiss. Last night had been so perfect and I lost myself in all thoughts of him.

"I love you." He whispered into my hair pulling me out of my thoughts. I smiled and kissed his chest in reply, my voice to heavy with emotion to speak.

His arms wrapped around me tighter and pulled my naked body closer to his. "I wish I could wake up like this every morning." I tell him, my voice barely audible but I knew he heard me.

"Me too." There was silence between us for a while as we lost ourselves in thoughts of each other. "There are some vampires coming…" My eyes shot open and I pulled away a little to look at him. "It's why I was late last night… We don't know when they will get here… Patrols have doubled at least and…" His face saddened as he thought forwards to what he was about to say. "I don't know how much time I will be able to spend with you before you go, probably next to none."

I felt my heart break as I took in what he said to me. "So this is goodbye?" I looked up at him with tears glistening in my eyes.

"I think so."

I hid my face in his chest to hide how distraught I felt and tightened my grip on him. I would make it last I thought as I heard a wolf howl out in the distance, somewhere in the forest that was calling to him. Jacob tensed as he heard it and I knew that meant he was leaving. I felt my grip go weak, my body was letting him go, but my heart and head were pleading with it not to. He kissed me on the head and got up silently. He left the same way he had come in last night. I waited until I knew he was out of earshot before I started sobbing.

I had written letters to them all and delivered them on my way out of town. My stuff was packed up in both mine and mum and dad's car and I followed them in tears away from my home and out into the big wide world. Mum was going to drive my car home for me as I wouldn't afford to run it and wouldn't need to in the city.

_Emily and Sam,_

_I'm going to miss you guys, especially your cooking, Em. _

_Keep an eye on baby Caleb for me, he's so sweet. Make_

_sure you send me loads of photos of him, I don't want to_

_miss anything! I got him a present, it's in the bag, hope you_

_like it. See you soon hopefully._

_Aria._

Inside the bag was a little blue outfit for him.

_Kim and Jared,_

_Whatever you do Kim, make sure to remind me_

_everyday a couple of weeks before the wedding to_

_book some kind of transport home for it. You know _

_how forgetful I can be. Also keep an extra eye on Caleb_

_for me. Miss you two already. Look inside the bag, it's_

_for you Kim. Hope it helps._

_Aria._

Inside the bag there was a beautiful cream book, that when opened Kim found it was a wedding planner.

_Rachel and Paul,_

_Don't get too angry at Jake, he really wants to do_

_well on his course and he'll need a lot of help with_

_the pack when he's busy. Remember it's very rare_

_for an imprint to not be around, so be easy on him._

_Try help out with Billy too, Jake can't do everything_

_even though he thinks he can._

_See you soon. Hope you like the gift._

_Aria._

Inside the box was a folded thin quilt filled with memories of Rachel and Pauls history.

_Quil,_

_Say goodbye to Claire for me, I know she won't really_

_understand. Tell her she can always ring me if she _

_needs me and remember to give her the gift. I know_

_you've got your hands full but keep an eye on Jake for_

_me, he needs you guys. Miss you._

_Aria._

Inside the bag was a teddy for Claire dressed as a princess, she's seen it in a shop and wanted it.

_Embry, Colin and Brady,_

_Hi you guys, don't miss me too much! And make sure_

_everyone keeps in touch, I'm not dead, I'm just at_

_school. Feel free to take a trip to me to get some sun!_

_Do me a favour, keep Jake occupied for a while till he_

_gets used to me not being around. Enjoy the present,_

_and have some fun for once._

_Aria._

Inside the box was a huge crate full of beer with a label on that said "Have a party or something, just for the sake of it."

_**(JACOBS POINT OF VIEW!)**_

I arrived home to find a letter on the kitchen work surface with my name on the front in Aria's handwriting. I picked it up, it faintly smelled like her.

I was exhausted, the fight had ended with no casualties on our side, maybe a few scratches and bruises here and there but we heal fast so that's not a problem. I heard Billy say something and some other voice reply but I was too busy staring at the envelope in my hands to notice much. I finally tore my eyes away from it and looked up across the room to my dad. He smiled sadly at me for a moment and told me she had brought it round this morning.

It was 11pm and Charlie Swan was still here, the game had finished a while ago but the two were still chatting away happily. I left them to it and slowly stumbled my way to my room, more specifically my bed. I closed and locked the door behind me and fell onto my bed, letter still in my hand. I needed to make myself read it but it felt far too much like a goodbye if I did, so instead I stuffed it into my pocket and fell asleep thinking of Aria.

We were in the field in the clearing, the tall grass tickled my skin and I held her close to me. It was a warm sunny day, nothing like the usual for this part of the US and we were making the most of it. I could smell the strawberry shampoo she used for her beautiful long golden hair and I felt so warm, happy and content just lying there with her.

She was tickling my arm with one of the tiny blue flowers that surrounded us and I could feel her face break into a smile against my chest when my muscles tightened because of it. Her breath was warm against my chest and my heart beat fastened as she kissed my skin. "I wish we could stay here forever." She told me dreamily.

"We can, all the while we remember it, we can." I reassured her.

"I'll remember forever." She whispered into my skin.

I woke happily from the dream that was once reality but soon remembered why it felt like my heart was breaking. I could hear voices from the front room and got up to walk towards them. Rubbing my eyes as I tried to push out the sudden emptiness I felt, knowing Aria was no longer here, I came face to face with almost the entire pack. I looked at them all groggily, every single pair of eyes on me. I felt confusion cover my face. Why were they all looking at me like that?

"We came to see if you're okay". Rachel asked me, concern filling her face.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I asked them, my voice as thick with confusion as my face.

"Well we just thought…" She trailed off.

I waited. "Well…" Emily continued, pulling a letter out of her bag. "We figured you'd have one if we all did." The others pulled out letters too and I could see Aria's handwriting filling them.

I pulled out my own, still sealed letter and stared at it blankly for a while.

"You haven't read it?" Embry asked me. I shook my head. "What present did you get?" His voice sounded eager. I looked up confused. "We all got something, Caleb got clothes, we got beer, Claire got a teddy, they got a quilt, Kim got a wedding planner… What did you get?"

"There was only this on the counter." I replied my voice sounding far away.

No one spoke for a while, everyone, including me just stared at the unopened envelope.

"You should read it Jake." Rachel compelled me to. I just shook my head unable to look at any of them. "It might help. Aria wrote them for a reason. They all asked us to do things… Like she wants Kim to make sure she remembers to book a flight back for the wedding and stuff like that… She was trying to say goodbye without distracting anyone from the bloodsuckers."

I fell onto the couch, next to Embry who clapped his hand on my shoulder trying to tell me it will be alright. I opened it and pulled out the paper inside. Something fell into my lap; it was a key that looked as though it belonged to a Ford. I looked at the key for a while, why would she give me this? I sighed and opened the paper, not reading it at first, just looking at the words. The room went silent as I began to read it to myself.

_Jake,_

_I've written this about ten times and it just doesn't seem good enough, so I keep throwing it away and starting again. I know that I'm just putting it off so this is the final copy, whether I like it or not._

_I have to go now, well by the time you get this I will already be gone; who knows I might even already be in San Francisco by the time you read it. I don't want you to be sad okay? The time is going to go so quickly and before you know it I will be back for school vacation. I need you to be okay with me leaving, I'm not going to be gone forever; you just need to keep remembering that. I guess we both do. We're not stupid; we know that it's going to be hard, right? But I trust you, and I know you trust me, so it's more of just a waiting game than anything else._

_You don't need to worry about me either! I can look after myself, I did have a life before I came to Washington, I'm used to the big bad world remember. I'm really looking forward to starting school and you should be too, I don't want you being all sad and ruining it for yourself. Promise me you won't do that?_

_No arguing with me on this one, just do stuff with the guys and enjoy your gift and go to all the college parties, and for once in a long time be a teenager again. You're more than just an Alpha wolf and you need to take some time to remember that. College is going to be great, I want you to make a ton of new friends and take as many classes as you can fit into your schedule and just enjoy it. That's the plan for both of us, okay?_

_I love you. I always have since the second our eyes met that day on the beach. And I will love you forever, I have no choice right? Even if I did, I would choose you. You mean the world to me and more, the universe even, so don't go forgetting me in all the fun you're going to have, because I know I would never be able to forget you._

_There are a lot of ways we can keep in touch, text me, ring me, e-mail me, write to me even, and just make sure that you do okay? So this is my first letter, make sure you write back somehow. I know you'll probably need some time, but I'll be waiting to hear from you._

_I love you so much._

_Aria._

_P.S. Take the key out to your garage, take a look at my gift to you. I hope it keeps you busy and helps you to be okay with this. I'll see you soon._

I finished reading and let the letter fall to my lap fighting back the tears that I wouldn't let fall in front of the pack. I missed her so much that my heart ached. I should have let her say all of that in person, I should have made time to say goodbye to her, vampire attack or not.

I looked around at them and one by one they unfolded their letters and read them to me. Sharing her last goodbyes with me, I fought back the tears and gripped onto the key still in my hand like it was my life line. I handed my letter to Embry who was still sat there next to me and he read it aloud to everyone.

When he finished I couldn't stop the tear that rolled down my cheek but I wiped it away and stood up, heading for the front door and my garage. The others followed me, and we all stood, shocked and silent as we looked upon my gift. It was an old Ford Mustang, my dream car. It looked like it needed a lot of work but I think that that was Aria's point. She wanted me to work away the hurt.

I started laughing then, suddenly, but I wasn't sad anymore, I was full of joy, and I knew that that was her intention. The others joined me in unlocking that car and taking a good look at it. I sat in the driver's seat and pulled the sun visor down, there taped down was a small photo of me and Aria and next to it was one she had painted with the words "Remember, I love you" underneath. "I love you too." I whispered.

_**That's the end. I'm thinking of maybe writing a sequel, of the letters that they send to each other over the course of their degrees and add in their school vacations when Aria comes home. Maybe the Cullen's have left and the Denali clan stay in their house so the pack grows and put some twists in. Just wondering what you guys think about that idea. Let me know in the reviews, so I know whether to get started!**_

_**I just want to say thanks to everyone for reading it, putting it on alert and reviewing!**_

_**Jordan**_


	12. START OF THE SEQUEL

**AN: These are the first couple of chapters of the sequel for any of you who want to read it. I have really bad writers block with it so probably won't end up finishing it.**

**JACOBS POV**

**Chapter 1**

**I Miss Her**

My first week of college went great, mostly because classes hadn't started yet; it was all about enrolling, going to seminars to pick the right classes for you and your ambitions and getting to know people. I had convinced Quil and Embry to try and get last minute placements to come with me and luckily the school managed to fit them in. I hate to admit it but they were my safety net, I felt more secure and comfortable knowing that I wouldn't be alone in a huge school, much bigger than the reservation and Forks High school put together.

I sighed as we got back into the car after a long night of so called partying, although none of us were drinking due to patrol when we got back. I missed Aria so much, she'd been gone a couple of weeks and there just seemed to be this big, gaping hole in my chest where she used to be. She took my heart with her and I felt lost and alone without her here telling me that everything will be okay, as she usually did.

The guys knew exactly what was on my mind, Aria had been since the day she left and she will be forever. I looked glumly into the rear view mirror as I reversed out of the parking space and started our one hour thirty five minute journey back home. Luckily the school was paying for my travel costs or there would be no way I'd be able to make this trip almost every day.

"You still haven't written back to her have you?" Embry asked from the seat next to me.

"No, I have text her to make sure she's okay but haven't really spoken to her." I replied depression filling my voice and body.

"Why?" Quil questioned me.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to say. I don't want to lie to her and tell her I'm fine and I don't want to upset her by telling her the truth." I sighed again.

"Well can't you just tell her some and leave the rest out?" Embry thought out loud.

"I guess, but it seems as bad as lying to her."

The car went silent for a while. "Well, I think you need to reply, or you will live like this for the next three to four years and it's not healthy."

I eventually arrived home after doing a two hour patrol; it was three in the morning. Thankfully it was Saturday tomorrow and I had nothing to do but sleep. I dropped to my bed suddenly wide awake and decided to just wait for sleep. It didn't come. My head filled with Aria, what was she doing now? Was she sleeping, or was she laying thinking about me, like I was her? Was she making new friends? Was she out at a party or in with her new flatmates? So many questions filled my head and it felt like I needed to know the answers, that without them I would be able to do nothing but this.

I worried about her all the time, wondering if she was safe walking home in the dark, or if she was making sure she cooked her food properly. I was worrying about stupid things, knowing fully well that she could take care of herself, I still had to worry. I tried to picture her in my mind, her long golden hair, her piercing green eyes, and her slim curvaceous body. I smiled to myself at how beautiful she is, I was proud to call her mine. I couldn't help but wonder if she had come to terms with the distance yet, she was good at adapting to different situations and I thought maybe she would have by now. I wished that I could, so that I had done what she had asked of me in the letter.

The summer ended horribly for me, alone and empty without Aria. There weren't any more leech attacks so patrol was at minimum, the pack were trying to keep me preoccupied by always doing something, going to Emily and Sam's for lunch, hanging out on the beach, going to the mall in Port Angeles. I knew they were just trying to help but they had their imprints, their soul mates right there with them and it just made me miss her more, knowing that she should have been there with me.

I sat up with yet another sigh, a bad habit I had picked up since Aria had left for college. Nothing seemed worth it without her here, even breathing felt like a chore now. Maybe Quil and Embry were right, maybe I did need to reply to her. I grabbed a notepad and pen and started to write.

_Aria,_

_Thanks for the Mustang; it must have cost you a fortune! You shouldn't have gotten me it, but I love you for it. Thanks for all the new parts as well, I hadn't realised that you had put them in the trunk until a week later. I really don't know where you got the money from. Maybe once its fixed up I could sell the Rabbit and pay you some of it back at least? I know you wouldn't really take the money off of me. It's great, I've already done quite a lot of work on it._

_So I guess you're wondering what's been going on here, to be honest not a lot. Patrols at a minimum because there have been no attacks as of yet so there's nothing really exciting to tell you._

_Caleb is getting bigger and bigger every day, I know you only saw him once or twice before you left, and I wasn't there, but I can image you fell in love with him. Or at least you would if you were here. The diaper changing thing isn't so great, it stinks but he makes up for it in cuteness as you would say._

_The Cullen's are preparing to leave, Seth's pretty hung up about it and is trying to decide whether to go with them or not. Their going up to Alaska to start again with their whole high school students bit. They mentioned that the other clan like theirs, the Denali's might come and stay in their house for a while basically doing the same thing they are. We've met them before so we shouldn't have any problems with the switch over. _

_I miss you so much. I feel like you've been gone for years, not weeks. I feel so lost and alone and empty without you. Everyday just isn't worth it anymore because you're not here to spend them with me. I couldn't tell you how much I wish you were here in my arms, so that I could hold you tight and feel your soft skin against mine and smell your strawberry shampoo. Just make sure you come back to me._

_I made you a thank you gift for the car. I don't know if you've already received it, I think it's supposed to take another week to get to you. I hope you like it; it's something for you to remember me by._

_I love you so much. Wait to write back for a while, so you can tell me everything about the academy._

_Jacob._

I folded the paper and placed it in an envelope, writing Aria's address on it. I would post it in the morning.

**ARIA'S POV**

**Chapter 2**

I went to my mail box, thinking maybe mum and dad had sent me a post card from Venice. They had decided to take another vacation before the good weather was over. No postcard but a letter. I picked it up and looked down at Jacob's try at his best hand writing. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it; all I could do was stare.

"Aria, are you okay?" My flat mate Jilly asked me.

I turned to look at her; she had curly auburn hair and freckles covering her pale white face. She was smiling at me but her light brown eyes conveyed a small amount of concern. I tried to smile back at her, not doing overly well.

"Come one you two!" Ryan called from the sunshine.

Instantly I followed his voice, eager to get away from Jilly's stare. She followed me out and I stuffed Jacob's letter into my bag before anyone could question it. We were two girls in a dorm with 3 boys or I guess you would say men at our age. Ryan, Lucas and Nathan were stood waiting for us and lead us onto a grassy area where hundreds of students were hanging out in the sunshine.

We sat down and I smiled up at the blue, cloudless sky and sunny warmth, it was nice to be out of the rain but I missed La Push and my friends so much, it was hard to breathe when I thought of them sometimes. I tried to busy myself with the research material I had taken out of the library already wanting to get a head start on one of my first assignments.

Eventually a cold evening chill slid across the grounds and the group of us packed up our stuff and made our way back to our flat. I used Jacob's letter as a bookmark and held the book tight to my chest as we walked to what was my new home.

We made food together and all sat down to eat, dinner was becoming a tradition. We would nearly always eat the same thing to keep shopping costs to a minimum and it was easier than us all crowding in the kitchen trying to cook five different meals. Nathan was a really good cook and he didn't mind doing it most of the time as it meant we wouldn't make him clear up after himself. The five of us got along really well so far and I was wondering what Jacob would think of them. Maybe he'd get to meet them one day.

After dinner I escaped to my room shutting the door firmly behind me, I opened my book and put it to one side as I sat on my small bed to read his letter. My heart beat fastened as I opened it happy that he had finally replied to me.

I read it through and ended up in tears at his anguish of me being gone. I, of course feeling the same way, wished I could console him somehow. I must have read it ten times when there was a knock at my door.

"Who is it?" I asked, my voice shaky from the tears.

"It's Jilly. I wanted to see if you're alright." She called through the thick wooden door. It was only last night that I was doing the same thing for her.

I folded the letter away and brushed away the tears as I answered the door. I knew fully well that my eyes were puffy and red, I wasn't trying to hide the fact that I had been crying.

"Oh." She muttered as she flung her arms around me, making me cry much more into her shoulder.

I could sense the guys were watching from a distance but I didn't care. I missed Jacob too much for any of that to matter. Jilly heard them muttering and hit them with a disappointed glare before shuffling me into my room and slamming the door shut behind her.

"What's wrong?" she asked me.

I shook my head unable to talk and pointed at the picture of me and Jacob in the dark wooden frame that was by my bed. She picked it up and sat down on the edge of the bed next to me looking at it.

"What's his name?" Jilly questioned me, understanding written all over her face.

"Jacob." I whispered.

"The letter was from him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. I nodded. "Did he break up with you in it?" I shook my head. "You miss him." She deduced, which just caused more tears to flow from me.

She hugged me close to her until there were no more tears left and then got up whispering "I'll go get the ice cream." She came back with the tub of Ben and Jerry's we had started last night during her cry time and a comedy. We lay on my bed and watched it, chatting the whole way through and eventually both of us fell asleep there.

My alarm clock sounded waking us both us with a start. Jilly hurried back to her own room to start getting ready for class and I did the same.

Eventually we hurried into our first lecture of the day and many hours after that we stumbled out of our last. My arms were piled high with books I would have to read and make notes on, pieces I would have to paint, and others I would have to do a re-make of. One of the third years had told me the courses I had chosen would be tough, this was the end of my first week and I was already piled high with work, I guess he was right.

I fell onto my bed exhausted after carefully placing my large pile of books down onto my desk. Too tired to even want to eat food, I changed into some pyjamas got in bed. Lying in the dark, I dialled a familiar number on my phone and waited for Seth to answer.

"Hello?" He asked as if I wouldn't possibly be ringing him.

"Hi." I say sleepily down the phone.

"Are you okay?" he asked me uncertainty in his voice.

"Mhmm just tired. Everyone went out but I was too exhausted to go." I tell him, really sounding it.

"Oh." Silence. "Why are you ringing me?"

"You don't want me to?" I asked distraught.

"Yes! Yeah I do, I just thought you'd ring Jake before any of us."

"Oh, well, I don't think he's ready for that yet." I tell him, explaining about the letter and how much I'd cried. "I don't think I'm ready to hear his voice yet, I think I'd just pack up and come home." I confessed. "I just… needed to hear a friendly voice I guess."

"Well I'm glad you rang." Seth was such a good listener.

"Jake mentioned you might go with the Cullen's?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He sounded unsure.

"Want some advice?"

"Yes!" He sounded relieved. "I was going to ask but I thought you kinda had your own stuff to deal with." He explained. I nodded and then realised he couldn't see me.

"Yeah I do, but you're the best friend I've got so feel free to unload." I told him conversationally, trying to skip over my issues about leaving.

"So tell me what you think I should do, or what you would do."

"If it were me, I would hold off for a couple of months, let them go, see what happens. In that time you'll be able to figure out how much you could realistically see Renesme, and you'll know if you can spend that much time away from her. If you can't then you should go with them, but if you can, then for now at least, you should probably stay. You and Nessy aren't in a physical relationship yet and that will make it easier."

"Yeah I think you're probably right, I just really don't want her to go." He told me, his voice full of sorrow.

"I know, believe me."

We talked some more but then Seth had to go on patrol so we hung up and I fell asleep feeling a bit happier than before.

**JACOB'S POV  
Chapter 3**

**Coming Home**

It has been weeks since I mailed the letter to Aria and still no reply. I get the occasional text message or e-mail so I know that she's safe and she's rang Seth a lot too. Seth keeps reassuring me that she's really busy, every time he has spoken to her she's sounded exhausted, or it's been the middle of the night and she's only just finished her work or she's just gotten back from a waitressing job or something. It sounds like she's always on the go and she obviously just doesn't have time for me. My heart sinks once again as I thought this, I wish she's just call me or write back and tell me everything, for once why couldn't she call me instead of Seth?

I sigh yet again, the habit beginning to really frustrate me and continue my three hour patrol. This really is the only time where it seems to hurt less, when I can let go of everything human and just run around on all fours. I've been doing as many patrols as possible, taking Colin and Brady's now and again so that they can get their school work done. Getting rid of the excess energy is helping me to keep my temper through all of this. I just wish she would reply. I would never be too busy to reply to her.

_Maybe she's not replying for her and it has nothing to do with you. _Brady's thoughts clear in my mind. I guess maybe he could be right about that one; she wouldn't purposefully torture me this way.

I'm going to call her I decided and raced in the direction of home, not caring that I still had another hour of patrol to go. Brady would cover for me; there hasn't been an attack in months. The Cullen's are gone and the Denali's won't be arriving for a while yet.

I phased right outside of my house and pulled on my cut-off jeans, striding into the house as I went. Billy wasn't home; he was out fishing with Charlie like they did most Saturdays now. I went to the privacy of my bedroom anyway and flung myself on the bed, propping up the pillows, I rested against the head board.

Grabbing my phone off of the side next to me, I scrolled through my contact list until I found her name. My heart beat picking up pace, I pressed the call button and held the phone up to my ear, waiting far too impatiently. It went to answer phone far too quickly. Aria hung up on me! I stare down at the phone in my hand blankly, unsure how I was supposed to feel about this. Seconds later the phone was vibrating in my hand with her name and picture on the screen. I smiled down at it for a while then remembered I needed to answer.

"Hello?" I ask uncertainly down the phone.

"You rang me" Aria stated.

"Yeah, I haven't heard from you, you didn't write back so I just wanted to make sure that everything's okay?" I tell her, my whole body filling with elation at hearing her voice.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" She asked me, sounding far away from the phone.

I heard a knock in the distance down the phone and Aria calling "Hold on a sec" I presume through her door.

"Jake, I gotta go." She said and then to someone else. "Hey Luke."

I heard a male voice in the room with her saying a muffled "Hello, are you ready to go?" He asked her "We'll be late." He warned.

"I have to go to work; I'll talk to you later." Aria's voice sounded down the phone and the call was over before I even had the chance to say goodbye to her.

My whole body was shaking and I didn't have time to escape the house or my clothing before I saw red and burst into a wolf. Who the hell was Luke? What was he doing in my girlfriend's bedroom? Who did he think he was, tearing her away from me like that?

It took me quite a long time to calm down enough to phase back to my human self. Majority of the pack had come by to try and help me out with it, but it was close to impossible to make me okay with Aria not being here, she belongs here with me, she should be here with me.

"It won't be long till she's back now Jake." Seth tried to soothe me, but it wasn't helping. Aria was being like this on purpose, not talking to me, not replying to me, she didn't want me so what good would her being in La Push do? It would just make it all harder to deal with.

**ARIA'S POV**

I dropped my bag to the floor, exhausted from a week of finishing work for our hand in date that was yesterday. I start hanging up my clothes and unpacking all of the things that I would need for my visit back home. I was in my bedroom in my parents' house; it was the middle of the day, sun hidden beneath the clouds as usual here and I felt strangely full and happy to be back. I had been dreading it all week, knowing that Jacob would be upset with me. I had been dodging his calls and texts for the past couple of weeks still trying to deal with the distance, I was finding it impossible.

There was a knock on my door and I turned in time to see Seth smiling at me from the door way. I rushed over to hug him, smiling up at him. "I missed you!" I tell him pulling away from him to look at him. He was in his usual jean shorts, and shirtless. His hair cropped short and messy and his chest and arms considerably more muscled than the last time I had seen him. "Looking good!" I tell him wiggling my eyebrows at him happily.

He laughed and said "Right back at you."

I was wearing a pair of black leggings and an emerald, lose green dress that hung from my figure perfectly, and brightened my eyes. I smiled up at him happily I shook my head disbelievingly at him, my golden hair swaying with me.

"Please tell me you plan on going to see Jake, like now?" he pleaded.

I nodded laughing at his desperateness, "of course", I tell him. "I miss him so much."

"I know you do. He's really messed up over the separation." Seth muttered looking to the floor as concern filled his face.

I sighed, "Me too."

"Well, I could take you, I drove here." He said excitedly. Seth had finally saved enough money to buy his own car.

"That would be great." I laughed at him.

"Yes!" He grabbed my hand, "let's go now!"

I grabbed my bag off my bed as Seth pulled me out the room towards the stairs and the front door.

We pulled up outside Jacob's house; he was in his garage bunched over the bonnet of the Mustang. He turned at the sound of me slamming shut Seth's car door. I just stared at me like he had never seen me before. I felt my heart crack at the look, filled with pain and desperation and love all at once. Immediately I felt even guiltier about the way I had been acting than I had before.

Seth drove away just leaving me stood there. How could he? My head screamed for him to come back and take me home but I needed to see Jake. We were just mere meters apart but I couldn't bring myself to close that distance. What if he didn't want me here?

"Are you just going to stand there?" He asked me a smile filling his face.

I just ran to him, to his arms, dropping my bag on the garage floor as I went. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and I put my head on his bare chest finally feeling safe and at home. He tried to pull away from me after a while but I wouldn't let him. He chuckled into my hair and tightened his grip on me again.

"I missed you." His husky voice filled deep with emotion.

"Me too." I whispered back. I couldn't handle more than that right now.

We stayed there for what felt like hours but it was probably really only minutes. Eventually I let him pull away so that he could look down at me. I looked up into his gorgeous brown eyes and smiled at him. He smiled back but it wasn't so pure this time. His face filled with questions, and I couldn't blame him for being angry with me.

I held up a finger for him to wait a moment and went to find my bag, pulling out a letter addressed to him. I handed him it silently and he looked down at it blankly.

"I wrote it about a week ago; never go round to posting you it." I tell him, my voice full of apology.

**JACOB'S POV**

**Chapter 4**

**The Letter**

I looked down at the letter in my hands and back up to Aria's beautiful face, here were the answers I had been craving for so long. However, the questions seemed meaningless now with her here in front of me. She was so much more beautiful than I had remembered her being, and again I recognised how lucky I was to have had her chosen for me.

I ripped open the envelope and leaned against the old blue-ish colour car, pulling Aria in my warm embrace.

_Jacob,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written back, and I'm sorry I've been dodging your phone calls and not answering your texts and e-mails. I truly am. Words can't even begin to explain the way that I have been feeling in order to justify how I have treated you. I thought that by forcing myself through the semester at school without much contact with you would make it easier on the both of us. But I'm finally beginning to see that I was wrong. I figured that the reason I'm so sad and alone and empty and confused isn't because I am here and you are there, it's because I'm forcing you out of my life by doing this._

_I miss you so much, every second of every day my heart breaks that little bit more. I hate waking up in the morning knowing you aren't there, knowing I won't see you or hear your voice or feel your touch. This really is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Being away from you is like being away from me. I gave you my heart and you gave me yours, you are and forever will be a part of me just like I am a part of you. When I left, I left that part of me with you, and now I feel so alone and lost and incomplete. I know I will only feel whole again when I am in your arms._

_I can't wait to see you again, just another week to go and I'll be coming back home to you. I hope you're there waiting for me, and that you're not too mad at me for how I have been behaving. I guess maybe there's a small part of you that could understand why I did what I did, even though it turns out it was only making things worse._

_School has been really busy all semester. It's been book after book after book, and painting and drawing and art history, essays and exams. I've barely had time to breathe easy. Then on top of that I got a job as a waitress in a small restaurant with Lucas, he's one of four flat mates and is turning out to be a really great friend. The others Nathan and Ryan are cool too but I'm not as close with them. But there is also Jilly, she's a little weird but she's a good friend and she's always around when something goes wrong._

_I told them all about you, and they're dying to meet you someday. I hope that you'll like them, and not be too weird that I'm living with three guys. I know that you'll probably not be okay with it, but they look at me like a sister, they've never even tried flirting with me so you don't need to worry. Well actually you wouldn't need to even if they had; it will take more than that for you to get rid of me._

_Just in case you're wondering, apart from the crying over you whenever possible thing I have going on, I'm doing really great, my school work has literally never been better and I'm having a lot of fun. I hope you are too. Mostly, I'm just really busy, I don't really get much time to go out, and I have so much work to do. I'm up almost every night till midnight at least trying to get it all done and have classes Monday to Friday and work at the weekends. I barely have time to eat or sleep or shower. Don't panic I do, do those things. I should be finishing an essay right now but I decided you're more important._

_I love you so much Jacob, I wish there was a way that I could explain it, there just aren't enough words, and none that would be good enough. Even though we haven't spoken, I fall in love with you more and more every day. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, I guess I can finally agree with them._

_I miss you. I'll see you soon, it's a promise._

_Aria._

I finished reading and just stared down at the paper in my hands for a while, taking in the beautiful words, any anger I felt diminished. I tore my eyes away from the letter to focus on her face. She is so beautiful.

"I'll never let you go." I whispered to her, pulling her in tighter.

"Good." I hear her say.

I pulled away and brought her face up to mine with my hands, kissing her soft lips. Her arms pulled up and wrapped around my neck as she kissed me back more fiercely. I was lost in her taste and her scent and her body, my head spinning yet so focused on her. I fell in love with her all over again.

**ARIA'S POV**

**Chapter 4**

The holiday passed far too quickly. I spent the whole thing practically glued to Jacob, the only time we weren't with each other was when he had to go out on patrol and then I would always wait for him to come back to me.


End file.
